Properly Sauced: Speedy's Special

By Rob Christopher in Food on May 21, 2010 6:20PM

Not too much to say about this one--summertime is just around the corner, we like bourbon, and we've been listening to a whole lot of recordings by steel guitar wizard Speedy West. Somehow they all kinda go together. And after coming across this recipe at Embury Cocktails, they really came together. We tweaked it ever so slightly with some falernum (a liqueur we never tire of) and came up with this, a sprightly sunset sipper.

Speedy's Special

2 oz. bourbon
1 oz. unsweetened grapefruit juice
1/2 oz. falernum

Shake vigorously with ice and strain into a chilled coupe glass, or over ice in a rocks glass.

It's a wonderful combo that's slightly smoky, slightly bitter, and just sweet enough to go down easy. Old Grand-Dad is a favorite of ours, but you can use whichever bourbon suits your fancy. As for falernum, unless you want to try making your own, John D. Taylor's Velvet Falernum is the way to go.