Back over a decade ago I set out to improve upon a cocktail that I was making at home the “Lynchburg Lemonade”.
The name comes from the fact that this cocktail was made with the most famous product to come out of Lincoln County Tennessee and the hollow of Lynchburg Tennessee which interestingly is a dry county meaning that alcohol cannot be sold in that county. That product as some of you have already guessed is Old No. 7 - Jack Daniels
That classic cocktail is as follows
INGREDIENTS
1 oz Jack Daniel's Old No. 7®
1 oz Triple sec
1 oz Sour mix
4 oz Lemon-lime soda
INSTRUCTIONS
fill a highball glass with cubed ice
Pour Old No. 7 over ice
Add remaining ingredients and stir
Add lemon wedge to garnish
And while this is a great cocktail I thought I could make it better.
After a LOT of experimenting I eliminated the Lemon -lime soda and the sour mix and added Limeade. Then I stumbled upon a Jalapeño-Lime mix from Republic Spirits. The interesting kick of the Jalapeño at the end has now become something of a signature for me. I put all the ingredients in a shaker and shake until VERY COLD and then strain and serve in a chilled martini or Coupe glass. I would then top with a splash of Chambord or Raspberry Liqueur.
Originally I called this a Bardstown Limeade but after holding up the glass after pouring one night to one of our Glorious Texas Sunsets I realized that I had copied the colors of that sunset and re-named the cocktail. The Texas Sunset
I have now served hundreds (Dare I say thousands) of these to friends, both new and old to critical acclaim including as part of my winning Appetizer in 2019 at the Meat, Mugs and Music competition at the LOT in Downtown Mansfield. And have also entered this is several cocktail competitions with great success.
Don’t worry about taking notes as I am giving out the ingredients and instructions. They are always posted on bourbongospel.com
Texas Sunset
Ingredients
- 2 oz 100 proof Bourbon like Weller or Evan Williams Bottled in Bond
- 4 oz Simply Limeade
- 1 oz Paula’s Orange Liqueur
- 1 oz Peach Liqueur
- Small splash Jalapeño extract (I use Amoretti Jalapeño) A little goes a long way.
- Splash of Chambord
(For simplicity you can use 4 oz of the Republic brand Jalapeño-Lime mixer instead of the Limeade and Jalapeño Extract)
Instructions
Pour Limeade, Bourbon, Paula’s, Peach Liqueur and the small splash of Jalapeño extract into shaker glass full of Ice. Put top on Shaker and shake until VERY cold. Strain into chilled Martini or Couple glass and slowly pour a splash of Chambord into cocktail completing the sunset effect. Enjoy!
Many people call this a BourbonRita and I will take that compliment
As always I am open to hear your take and your input.