Adventures in Mixology: “Hellish Rebuke”

Invented after my girlfriend asked me to come up with something to do with the tiny bottle of Fireball in our liquor cabinet. Basically an Old Fashioned cocktail, except doubling down as hard as possible on the sweetness and spiciness.

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 oz Fireball Whisky

* 1 oz Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon (I chose this because it’s the spiciest, most cinnamon-forward bourbon in my whisky collection)

* Trader Joe’s Spicy Bitters

* Woodford Reserve Bourbon Cherries

* Regular old Maraschino Cherries

* Ginger Simple Syrup (I made this myself: 2 cups sugar, 1 cup water, plus a bunch of shaved gingerroot: simmer it all together, let cool, and store in a refrigerator)

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METHOD:

1. Take an Old Fashioned glass and chill it in the freezer.

2. When the glass is nice and cold, add four dashes of Trader Joe’s Spicy Bitters, swirl it around to coat the inside of the glass, then  and return them to the freezer while you do the next step.

3. In a mixing glass, pour in 1 oz of the Fireball, 1 oz of the Four Roses, and 1 tsp of the ginger simple syrup. Stir well with ice until the glass frosts.

4. Using a julep strainer, strain into the previously prepared Old Fashioned Glass.

5. Garnish with a Bourbon Cherry and a regular old Maraschino cherry, adding a tiny bit of the syrup with the cherry.

6. Sip it slowly, but not too slowly.

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TASTING NOTES: Candy-sweet and spicy as hell, but not quite as one-note as a pure shot of Fireball. Basically pure alcohol and sugar.