Kentucky Mule (Plus Black Maple Hill Bourbon Review)

October 6, 2010 (Day 249) — Kentucky Mule

It’s always flattering to try out a certain brand to help a business decide if they would like to carry it or not. This week’s featured booze is Black Maple Hill Bourbon — a small-batch bourbon that can actually be a little tricky to track down.

Tasted neat, it’s very smooth. Almost a little too smooth really. The single-barrel is reflected in the price ($33 average retail), but the good news is that the taste stands up to the price. Very smooth and sweet, as a bourbon should be.

So, in order to appreciate the bourbon, I’d like to make something that lets the bourbon stand on it’s own, but creates something greater than the sum of its parts. So, playing off the classic Moscow Mule, we’ll make the…

Kentucky Mule

2 oz bourbon

1 dash lime cordial

Ginger beer to top

Pour your bourbon and cordial in a rocks glass filled with ice and stir. Top with ginger beer and gently stir to avoid fizzing up.

My wife's cat didn't seem to impressed with it.

But he’s a cat. What the hell does he know?

The Kentucky Mule is great because it allows the quality of the bourbon to seep through, but it still has that powerful kick from the lime cordial and ginger beer that you get from the Moscow Mule. The Kentucky Mule is a bit more extreme, however, as it lends the drink its distinctive whiskey flavor that you don’t have from the vodka.

Black Maple Hill Bourbon: An excellent, higher-end bourbon.While good mixed, I would say this is best used for sipping on the rocks on a relaxing evening. I approve, and it would definitely hit my rotation.

I likes it!

Cheers!

— Mark