When coming up with this cocktail I thought about what flavors i would get while tasting bourbon. When you take that first sip and get those nutty flavors and it finishes with some fruitiness. I wanted to capture more of those flavors and enhance what I thought of as an amazing cocktail. So I infused the bourbon with pecans and dried banana chips. Recipe below. I felt that the flavors would lend better to using maple syrup than using a sugar cube or simple syrup. We used grade B as we didn't need the highest quality for a cocktail but also didn't want to use the fake syrup. We made our own aromatic bitters to use in our cocktails, but Angostura will work just fine for at home use.
Pecan & Banana Old Fashioned
2 oz. Pecan & Banana infused bourbon (recipe below)
1/2 oz. pure maple syrup Grade B
3 dashes Angostura bitters or other aromatic bitters
Orange peel for garnish
Instructions:
Add 2 oz. Pecan & Banana bourbon to a cocktail shaker with ice. Use a bar spoon to mix the bourbon and ice. I would say a good 5-10 seconds for a good dilution. (At the bar we use the big ice cubes to serve with the cocktail. If using regular ice cubes you can dilute less)
Before straining the bourbon into the Old fashioned glass add the 1/2 oz. maple syrup and the 3 dashes of bitters. Add ice to the glass, we suggest using a large ice cube if you have them, then strain the perfectly chilled bourbon over the ice.
Grab an orange and your peeler and take a nice hunk of orange peel and place it zest side out into the tips of your fingers and squeeze the peel to bend it and release some of the oils over the glass. If you are feeling qualified you can use a lighter and put the flame over the glass and spritz the oil over the flame to bring some burnt oils into the mix of the cocktail. Wipe the rim of the glass with the orange peel and add to the cocktail and enjoy!
Pecan & Banana Bourbon
You can do the infusion a couple ways, one fast and one slow, and we are going to show you how to do it both ways. The fast way is to use an immersion circulator which you can purchase for about $100. The slow way just uses time and the natural chemical reactions that take place. Either way I like to use Quart mason jars to let the infusion happen. They are inexpensive, reusable, and get air tight. You will also need to purchase a decent bourbon, but not something too expensive, we are going to enhance this lesser quality bourbon. Obviously you don't want to use the cheapest bourbon you can find. We chose Jim Beam for our infusion because it has good name recognition and decent flavor. Let's get to what you will need.
Equipment:
Mason Jars - you will need a one quart jar per 750ml of bourbon
Immersion circulator - if you are going to do the fast method
2 Baking sheets - we are going to toast the pecans and banana chips
Fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth
big mixing bowl
1/2 cup pecans - I used the pieces as they are already broken up
1/2 cup dried banana chips
750ml bourbon
Instructions (Fast Method):
1.Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. and fill a pot with enough water to pass the fill line with the immersion circulator attached. Preheat the immersion water to 115 degrees F. While the oven is preheating grab your baking sheets and place the pecans in a single layer on one and the banana chips in a single layer on the second. When the oven is ready place both baking sheets in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until aromatic. We are going for a light toast. Pull them out of the oven.
2.I like to add the pecans and banana chips to the mason jars while they are still hot. It's not an easy or simple task but using a spatula and a good oven mitt makes it not impossible. After you have added the pecans and bananas to the mason jar top with the bourbon. If you added while the ingredients were right out of the oven you will here a nice sizzle.
3.Place the lid on the mason Jar and place in the immersion circulator for 4 hours. Turn off the circulator and remove the mason jar and let it come back to room temperature before using a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth and a big bowl to strain out the banana chips and pecans. I like to take a little taste at this point to make sure the flavors come out. If not you can combine all the ingredients back into the mason jar and let it go for a couple more hours. If the flavor is exactly how you imagined it, let's make a cocktail!
Instructions (slow method):
Ingredients and Equipment are the same minus the immersion circulator.
1.Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. While the oven is preheating grab your baking sheets and place the pecans in a single layer on one and the banana chips in a single layer on the second. When the oven is ready place both baking sheets in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until aromatic. We are going for a light toast. Pull them out of the oven.
2.I like to add the pecans and banana chips to the mason jars while they are still hot. It's not an easy or simple task but using a spatula and a good oven mitt makes it not impossible. After you have added the pecans and bananas to the mason jar top with the bourbon. If you added while the ingredients were right out of the oven you will here a nice sizzle. Place the lid on the mason jar and give it a little shake.
3.Store the mason jar in a cool dark place and shake it every couple days for 4 weeks. On the fourth week open the mason jar and use a spoon to take a little taste. If you like the flavor grab the strainer or cheesecloth and the big mixing bowl and strain out the banana chips and pecans. If not then place the lid back on and check it every couple days until it's perfect. When it is perfect get to making some cocktails!
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