Whisky Magazine – August 2019

64 Whisky Magazine | Issue 161

Whisky Epicurean Fabulous Fruit

WORDS

PEGGY NOE STEVENS

FOLLOW THE FRUIT

Exploring the joy of mixing

D

etecting fruit notes in

a Bourbon is second

nature. Ranging from

luscious cherry and juicy

orange to deep, dark

dates and banana, there are a plethora

of fabulous fruit notes to taste in any

style of Bourbon. In fact, I purposefully

tease the Bourbon during a tasting by

adding a few drops of water to bring out

those beautiful fruit notes. Production

of Bourbon is a sneaky thing when

identifying where the fruit notes begin,

because it can happen in countless

places during the process. Take the

barrel for instance, as the wood plays

a role in bringing out some cherry

notes, the yeast for some green apple

and pear. No matter the process leader

of the tasteful congeners, fruit notes

in a Bourbon are fabulous and pair

inexplicably well with fresh fruit.

Why we care about fruit notes

Take your cocktail mixers. Strolling

down the aisle of a liquor store just past

the Bourbon are the cocktail mixers

and it looks like a plastic rainbow

of colours touting the different fruit

flavours such as coconut, cranberry,

orange, etc. Have you ever truly thought

about tasting your Bourbon before

you select a flavoured fruit mixer to

match the profile of the Bourbon?

Think about it, chefs always taste the

quality and flavours of the ingredients

before they prepare a dish. And fondly,

what I call my “bar chefs” should do

the same. Freshly squeezed is always

preferable, but still taste the Bourbon

first to determine what fruit flavours

and texture you are dealing with.

Ever notice why some Bourbons just

taste better than others in an old-

fashioned with the cherry and orange?

I purposefully choose a Bourbon with

great citrus notes because you can’t put

enough orange in my old-fashioned.

Garnishing the hell out of it

I’m not sure about you, but I like to see

my cocktail clearly beyond the garnish.

Some cocktails these days look like a

whole garden in your glass. You don’t

even need to slice up the whole fruit as

the rind of many fruits does quite nicely.

Using the essential oils from the rind to

rim the glass is not only fragrant when

taking a sip and that puff of orange

zest hits your nose, but it does not

take up too much room either. Such a

lovely experience to drink your cocktail

without wearing a nose guard.

If you do slice or muddle your

fruit, you may wish to keep it at room

temperature, because when you

refrigerate fruit it tightens the pulp.

A Las Vegas mixologist taught me to

always roll juicy fruit on the counter

whole before slicing for the ultimate

burst. This ritual has now become

part of my Bourbon religion. Choose

the fruits you love, but always think

seasonal, as well as flavourful to get the

best quality fruit.

Fruitful pairings made easy

What fun to put a pot-pourri of fruit

out at a party and pair with your

favourite Bourbons or allow guests to

muddle their fruit choice to make your

signature cocktail at the party. People

are amazed at how Bourbon brightens

and elevates the flavour of the fruit.

I am a huge fan of fruit infusions too.

Infusions dig deep with blanketing the

Bourbon while swimming around in all

that fruit for days. Even cooking with

fruit and Bourbon steeps a heavenly

marriage of flavours because of the

natural sugar that fruit excretes and the

dance of the caramel and vanilla. Just

when you think it could be too sweet,

the zip and the tang of fruit makes its

way through, whether it be acidic, sour,

or slightly mellow and commands that

Bourbon-fruit combination to perform.

Follow the fruit notes

Nose your Bourbon to pull out the

essence of the fruit note(s) and if it

is difficult, add the splash of water to

break down the alcohol and release

the notes. List them out and then

determine if you want to match flavours

or send the Bourbon on the proverbial

rollercoaster of flavour and “tang it up”

a bit.

I keep a running list of all types of

fruit and divide them into categories

to aid with the pairing. Below is just

a small sample of my fruit repertoire.

Remember, thanks to our master

distillers, every Bourbon truly produces

unique fruit notes, so always capture

and write them down to create a great

list to use for your next party. Another

way I pair fruit is to divide light and airy

fruit like a raspberry to dark rich fruit

such as dates and figs. This establishes

the “weight” of the cocktail. If the

Bourbon is big and bold (be mindful of

proof ), it may drown out the faint light

fruit and vice versa. Many times, you

can quickly gravitate to the right fruit if

you taste the Bourbon first.

Enjoy your next outing to the liquor

store, or shall I say the fruit and garden

stand to find your choice mixers and

fruity delights. It will collectively make

a difference in your cocktails and can

be the easiest food pairing around.

The proof is in the pudding. I share my

Bourbon marinated pineapple pound

cake recipe for your party. Sip on this.

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