Some leave a glass out for Santa, some lace their cake with it; some drink if for dinner – whiskey should always feature in everyone’s Christmas traditions. Why not start a new tradition this year with Woodford Reserve whiskey? Mix one bottle with a group of your best friends for a Cayman Christmas cocktail party they’ll talk about all year. The holidays should be a time to celebrate your relationships, so hosting at home can make it special.
Like any good relationship, a good cocktail demands a worthy base. That’s why we recommend a bottle of Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select. This rich and rounded whiskey makes it easy for you to craft surprising and sophisticated cocktails that even the most ardent whiskey-denier will fall for. So set the party date, send the invites and drop by any Jacques Scott store to pick up the whiskey (or order online for free delivery!).
Start with a Woodford Reserve
Sipping Woodford Reserve Distiller’s select is almost a cocktail in itself. Tasting it neat helps to train your palate to decipher multi-layered aroma’s and tastes. This is a premium whiskey, at the right price, that gives you lots of scope when building great cocktails. Classic bourbon flavours are all there to be discovered under its smoky sweetness. Sweet aromatics, spices, rich grains, wood, fruit and floral notes readily combine with cocktail additions to create drinks that will surprise and delights your guests.
The basics of cocktail making come from understanding relationships. Every pour should consist of strong and weak; sour and sweet and the ways they interact. Strong refers to the main alcohol measure – the base. The lesser or second one is the weak, usually a fortified wine, a liqueur or flavoured alcohol. Sour is most often any citrus, and the sweet is the sugars and syrups. Beginners should remember this simple rhyme to ensure a balanced cocktail – 1 part sour, 2 parts sweet, 3 parts strong and 4 parts weak. This way the alcohol content will be in proportion to the sweet/sour elements. We have selected four Woodford Reserve craft cocktails that should broaden your tastes and refine your palate while fine-tuning your skills. If you start this weekend, you’ll be a pro by the holidays.
If you build great cocktails, the tools will come.
Don’t worry about your mixologist’s kit yet. Although we are cocktail aficionados, there’s been many a party where we resorted to substitute tools of the trade:
- Measure/Jigger >> Egg cup
- Cocktail shaker >> Thermos flask
- Muddler >> Small rolling pin/End of a wooden spoon
- Juicer >> Squeeze by hand using a fork
- Mixing spoon >> Long teaspoon/Fork handle
- Strainer >> Tea strainer
Learn from the experts
Below are video guides from Woodford Reserve to show you how easy it is to craft amazing cocktails that you’ll be serving for years to come.
Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned
The classic American cocktail with great history should become part of your cocktail party lore for years to come.
- 2 oz. Woodford Reserve
- 1/2 oz. Demerara Syrup
- 3 Dashes Angostura Bitters
- 2 Dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters (if you can’t find, mix equal parts grapefruit, orange and lime just with white distilled vinegar)
Add ingredients to the mixing glass. Add ice to mixing glass and serving glass. Stir ingredients for 30-40 secs. Strain into serving glass. Garnish with a lightly expressed orange peel.
Woodford Reserve Mint Julep
The traditional Derby Day cocktail, but a winner at any early Christmas drinks party.
- 2 oz. Woodford Reserve
- 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup (bring equal parts sugar and water to the boil, simmer until it turns clear)
- 3 Fresh Mint Leaves
- Crushed Ice
Express the essential oils in the mint and rub them inside the glass. To the same glass, add simple syrup, bourbon, and crushed ice. Stir. Garnish with more ice and fresh mint.
Woodford Reserve Boulevardier
Simple to craft, complex to taste, and sophisticated to drink. Wow even your most ardent whiskey denier friends with this classic
- 1 1/2 oz. Woodford Reserve
- 1 oz. Apertif (suck as Campari https://www.jacquesscott.com/product/campari-750ml-jw0008.html )
- 1 oz. Sweet Vermouth, like our Carpano Antica Formula https://www.jacquesscott.com/product/carpano-antica-formula-jw0005.html
- Orange Peel
Woodford Reserve Lion’s Tail
Now you can try a little advanced preparation to get ready for the Woodford Reserve Lion’s Tail. We’ve chosen this one as it has a secret ingredient that makes it just perfect for our Caribbean paradise palates – a splash of St Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram. We’re guessing you don’t have a bottle, so we’ve got a handy cheats’ DIY recipe below. A little extra work ahead of time means you’ve got cocktail additions to make ahead and keep. For drinks that intrigue and delight – it pays to put in the prep.
Lion’s Tail:
- 1 1/2 oz. Woodford Reserve
- 4 Dashes Angostura Bitters
- 1/2 oz. Lime Juice
- 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup
- 1/2 oz. St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram (make our Dram ahead and wow your guests)
- Orange Peel
Add ingredients into a shaker. Add ice to shaker tin and shake for 10-15 secs. Strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a lightly expressed orange peel for aromatics.
Allspice Dram – (Note: This addition needs 2 weeks to fully mature)
- 1 cup light rum
- 1/4 cup whole allspice berries
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
Directions
- Crush the allspice berries in a mortar and pestle or grind them in a spice grinder. You want coarse, large pieces and not a fine grind.
- Place the crushed allspice in a sealable glass jar and pour the rum on top. Seal the jar and shake well. Let this mixture steep for 4 days, shaking daily. On day 5, break up the cinnamon stick and add it to the mixture.
- After 12 days total steeping, strain out the solids through a fine-mesh strainer. Then strain again through a coffee filter into your final bottle or jar.
- Heat water and sugar on medium until boiling, stirring to dissolve, about 5 minutes. Let the syrup cool, then add it to the strained allspice infusion. Shake and then let rest for a minimum of two days before using.
