If you know Wild Turkey, you know that they recently released Wild Turkey 81 as the ‘cocktailing’ version of their iconic bourbon. It’s lower alcohol by volume allows for easier blending in your Manhattans and whatnot.
Then there’s Wild Turkey 101. That’s the bourbon Hunter S. Thompson drank while feverishly writing in a Vegas hotel room booked with stolen credit cards. It’s the bourbon that inspired the title of Pantera’s fifth album. It’s the bourbon poured on cornflakes by Ron Swanson’s father. It ain’t usually for cocktailing, we’re saying.
But we’re going to use it in this cocktail, because sometimes bold flavours need bold bourbon.
Ingredients
2 oz. Wild Turkey 101
.5 oz. real maple syrup (use dark)
6 fresh mint leaves
Half a lemon, cut into quarters
Directions
Combine lemon, maple syrup, and mint into a pint glass and muddle gently. Add bourbon and ice, and shake hard for ten seconds. Double strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a mint sprig.