I finally managed to obtain two bottles of Popcorn Sutton Tennessee White Whiskey. You would think the fact that they are a client of mine I would have been able to put my hands on a few bottles a bit earlier. Better late than never. Popcorn Sutton isn't yet available in California, but for those of you who find yourself in Nashville, it is offered at the better saloons in town.This past Friday I put Popcorn to work and experimented with a few different cocktail recipes. Popcorn Sutton works extremely well in cocktails: the taste is well balanced between sweet and spicy, and it has a nice floral bouquet. It has some of raw, astringent qualities you would expect from an un-aged whiskey, but overall its extremely drinkable.
My first cocktail was a slight deviation on the classic Boulevardier. (I can't understand why the Boulevardier hasn't experienced the same exuberant resurgence as its progeny, the Manhattan and the Negroni.) I took a bit of a liberty in adding a dash of both orange and Angostura bitters. The result was one excellent drink!
2 oz Popcorn Sutton Tennessee White Whiskey
1 oz Campari
1 oz 1 ounce sweet vermouth (I prefer Carpano Antica)
dash Angostura Bitters
dash Orange Bitters.
Shake and serve up with a Meyer lemon twist.
