It was love at first sight. The perfume and taste on my lips was irresistible. It was 1967 and I was legal marriage age, but I had yet to reach legal drinking age. I clearly remember my introduction to that beautiful amber elixir called bourbon and confess my transgression. It’s one that no Kentucky court would punish me for because only a Kentuckian can understand the bond with our native spirit.
Star Hill Date ‘N Honey
The Maker’s Mark tagline was “It tastes expensive…and is”. That was true in the 60’s and today it still tastes expensive but it’s also a great value. You can reliably find it anywhere in the U.S.A. and it earned a permanent place on my bar years ago.
To celebrate my love affair with Maker’s, I decided to create this cocktail. I infused it with dates and honey and resulted in a drink so smooth I always want another. It’s garnished with a fresh blackberry. As a child, it was a treat to eat them right off the fence-row and I know there’s a blackberry bramble somewhere on Star Hill.
Let’s Make a Star Hill Date ‘N Honey
Infuse 7-8 ounces of bourbon in a porthole or mason jar with ripe dates and a piece of honeycomb. Let it rest for 72 hours and toggle (gently tilt) daily. Decant and strain the infused bourbon and reserve
I’ll bet you want to know what’s up with the star anise pod. Shaped like a star I thought it was a nice homage to the Samuels family farm. It was part of the first trial infusion for this cocktail, but it was gosh-darned awful. The whole truth is, it was so bad I had to ditch the entire batch of infused bourbon. The heavens wept.
Read more about Maker’s Mark Here and Here. Print
Star Hill Date ‘N Honey
Kentucky bourbon infused with dates and honey, sweet vermouth and peychaud’s bitters
- Yield: 1 1x
Ingredients
- 2–1/2 oz date and honey infused bourbon
- 1 oz Antica Carpana sweet vermouth
- 2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
- 1 Star Anise pod for ceremonial use – or float as a garnish
Instructions
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice
- Add 2-1/2 oz infused bourbon, 1 oz sweet vermouth and 2 dashes of peychaud’s bitters
- Take the star anise pod and wave it over the cocktail shaker, then carefully return it to the jar
- Bruise it (shake vigorously) until well chilled
- Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass
- Garnish with a fresh blackberry