Drinking with Michael: How to Make a Ginger Whiskey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2pkK1XqMHQ&feature=youtu.be

Yesterday I arrived in Chicago, where I’m spending four nights and three full days catching up with old friends, sleeping in (hopefully, since for some reason, even when I’m away from Jackson and don’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn, my body is still like, “Wake up, wake up, wake up!” which is super annoying), dancing, drinking, eating, beaching, biking, rinse, repeat. One of the friends I’ll be seeing is my lovely pal, Michael, who will be flying in from Austin. He is a man of many talents, but one of his best is his mad bartending skills. Truly, he’s a big inspiration for my whole Drinking with Dear Wendy series, and I am hoping we get a chance to shoot an episode while we’re in Chicago together.

If we do, the video above is an example of what you might see. Michael made it during one drunken night after our mutual friend Chad asked for a cocktail recipe using three ingredients. Michael calls this cocktail “cocktail du jour et de la nuit a la française.” I call it Ginger Whiskey. You can call it whatever you want. The recipe is as follows (in Michael’s own words):

Ginger tea (Tazo, and I actually sun-brewed it) but I think chamomile would work too.

Any bourbon or rye (I made one with Bulleit rye and it was pretty good. Temptation, though, is probably my fave spirit of the moment–super nice).

Tiny squeeze of honey (will be trying the simple syrup version this weekend). To taste, really just to temper the lemon.

Lemon. I also think one of those swirly peel things would look way better, but I don’t have one of those special peelers. Need to get me one of those.

Basically 50/50 ratio, but I’m a drunk so adjust accordingly. Lemon to taste. The first one I did was way too heavy on lemon and it was overpowering. I sucked it down, though, because I’m a trooper and took one for the team…