Recipes and Cocktails for World Whisky Day

Celebrate at home this World Whisky Day

You can celebrate World Whisky Day at home with these cocktail and food recipes. Using Rye Whiskey, these are a bit different to your usual dram

Cocktail Recipes:

Sagamore Black-Eyed Rye

– 1 Bottle Sagamore Spirit Rye Whiskey
– 250ml Lime Juice
– 350ml Blackberry Simple Syrup
– 1.5l Ginger Beer
– Mint Leaves & Blackberries for garnish

Method
Mix Sagamore Spirit Rye Whiskey, ginger beer, lime juice, blackberry simple syrup*, and mint leaves into your dispenser. Once poured into individual Collins glasses, garnish with mint sprigs and three skewered blackberries individually. *Blackberry Simple Syrup: Mix 1 ½ cups each of water, sugar, and blackberries in a pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Chill overnight and strain. Need a quick fix? Muddle blackberries with pre-made simple syrup.

Where to buy Sagamore Spirit Rye
Masters of Malt, The Whisky Exchange, Native Spirits
Priced from: £49

About Sagamore Spirit
Sagamore Spirit is committed to inspiring a global passion for Maryland Rye Whiskey. Its award-winning five-acre waterfront distillery in Baltimore is reclaiming the city’s rightful place in America’s whiskey history, where storied distillers perfected rye whiskey for more than 150 years before Kentucky was founded. Maryland Rye Whiskey was known to be full-bodied yet notably more approachable than other regional rye styles, and Sagamore Spirit has picked up the torch. Its straight rye whiskies have earned more than 100 awards internationally, including “World’s Best Rye Whiskey” in 2019 at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Sagamore Spirit’s distillation team blends two different rye mash bills – a high rye and a low rye – and then adds pure Maryland limestone-filtered spring water, transported 22 miles from Sagamore Farm, to craft the brand’s Signature 83-proof Maryland-style Rye Whiskey. To learn more about Sagamore Spirit’s signature expressions, including Cask Strength and Double Oak, as well as limited-time releases, visit www.SagamoreSpirit.com.

Peerless Slippery Pete

Ingredients:
– 60ml Peerless Rye
– 25ml of Dubonnet (wine-based aoeritif)
– 2 dashes Orange Bitters
– Maraschino cherry to garnish
Method:
Add ingredients into a mixing glass and add ice. Stir until cold. Strain into a martini glass. Add cherry for garnish.
Where to buy Peerless Rye

Masters of Malt, The Whisky Exchange, Native Spirits
Priced from: £80

About Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co.
The Peerless family’s very first bourbon went into a barrel in 1889. They have since revived the craft in their own state-of-the-art distillery in the Bourbon District, where they use the finest ingredients. The Peerless family believes that patience builds character and fine Bourbon and Rye can never be rushed. All under one roof, the select Kentucky Peerless grains are milled, cooked, fermented, double-distilled and barreled as Bourbon and Rye, visit KentuckyPeerless.com.

Catoctin Creek Manhattan

The classic bar serve for a Virginia Rye whisky.
Ingredients
– 60ml Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
– 30ml Carpano Antica sweet red Italian vermouth (The absolute best!)
– 1 dash bitters (Peychauds or your favourite)
– 1 tsp cherry juice
– Maraschino cherries for garnish

Method
Pour into a mixing glass with crushed ice, stir, strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with up to 3 Maraschino cherries on a pick.
Where to buy Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
Masters of Malt, The Whisky Exchange, Southport Whisky, Native Spirits
Priced from: £37

About Catoctin Creek Distilling Company
Located in Purcellville, Loudoun County, located in the north of Virginia, the distillery is surrounded by lush plains and meandering rivers that work their way down rolling hills from snow-peaked mountains. The distillery is owned by husband and wife Scott and Becky Harris since its founding in 2009 and produces seasonal releases and private cask offerings for their whisky, gin and seasonal brandy all made from local grains and fruits. The spirits are available in 27 states and 3 continents, visit www.CatoctinCreek.com.

Cooking Recipes:

Maple Whisky Caramel Popcorn

Sweet, salty, crunchy, warm…and spiked. The natural toffee notes of rye make this caramel really special.
Serves
4
Ingredients
For the Sauce
– 1 cup dark brown sugar
– 110g of unsalted butter
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– A good pinch of salt
– 2 tbsp maple syrup
– 2 tbsp Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye whisky
For the Popcorn
– 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
– 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
– 1/2 tsp salt

Method
For the Sauce
Place all ingredients in a deep pot on medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir frequently. Allow to bubble for approximately five minutes. Try not to cook it any longer or it will get harder as it cools. Remove from heat and allow it to cool for 10-20 minutes. Pour in whisky and stir until smooth. If you want to make this a few hours before serving, simply reheat over low heat and stir until smooth again.
For the Popcorn
In a large pan over medium-high heat, place oil and sea salt and allow to heat up for about five minutes. You’ll know the oil is ‘ready’ if you throw one kernel in and it pops. Add the popcorn and cover with a lid. Be sure to slowly move the pot around, with oven gloves, to coat the kernels with oil. Turn the heat down to medium. Once you hear more popping, continue to move the pot around to allow even heat. After a few minutes, the popping will slow down. Remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly before tossing in the caramel.
To Serve
Serve the popcorn immediately for a sticky coat or spread on a baking tray and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, allow to cool slightly, break up into clusters and serve warm.

Catoctin Creek Rye Manhattan Sundae

Turn the classic cocktail into a deliciously boozy dessert.
Serves 6

Ingredients
For the Roundstone Rye Ice Cream
– 1 1/4 cup cane sugar
– 2 cups whole milk
– 2 1/2 cups cream
– 4 tbsp Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye whisky
– 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
– A few drops of almond extract
– A good pinch of salt
For Vermouth Syrup
– 3 cups of sweet Vermouth
– 1 cup of cane sugar
– A good pinch of salt
For Whisky Cherries
– Cherries
– Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye whisky

Method
Make the Ice Cream
Whisk the milk, sugar, and salt together until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cream and gently stir to combine. (You don’t want to make butter!). Add the Roundstone and almond extract and gently stir to combine. At this point, you can either use your prepared ice cream maker according to its directions, or you can simply pour the mixture into a large glass bowl, cover it with plastic wrap so it touches the mixture, then cover with a lid, and place it in the freezer. If you go this route, you may want to take it out of the freezer every hour or so for a few hours and stir it until it starts to get really firm. Freeze at least overnight before enjoying, 24 hours would be better.
Note: The ice cream won’t totally freeze solid because of the alcohol in the mix, so it will have a consistency almost like soft serve.
Make the Vermouth Syrup
Combine vermouth, sugar, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until syrupy. Allow to cool and pour into a squeeze bottle. Keep in the refrigerator. (If the syrup gets too thick, add a teaspoon of vermouth to thin it out.)
Make the Whisky Cherries
Add cherries to a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add enough Roundstone to cover the cherries. Cover the jar and put it in the fridge. Use as and when you wish, it takes around a week for the cherries to be fully soaked in whisky.
To Assemble
Place 1 or 2 large scoops of Roundstone Rye Ice Cream in the bottom of a lovely sundae glass. Pour over the vermouth syrup. Sprinkle with chopped salted almonds. Add the tiniest dollop of fresh whipped cream and garnish with a Roundstone Rye cherry.

Rye Peach Pie

An easy recipe for a glorious summer peach and rye pie.
Serves 12

Ingredients
– 3 cups sliced fresh peaches, skins removed
– ½ cup granulated sugar
– ¼ cup Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye whisky
– ¼ cup all-purpose flour
– 2 teaspoons finely chopped basil
– 1 tablespoon heavy cream
– 1 tablespoon butter
– 2 chilled unbaked pie crusts (pack of shortcrust rolled to fit)

Method
Put peaches, sugar, and rye whisky into a bowl and mix together. Allow to sit for 15 minutes. Then add the flour and chopped basil. Combine well and pour into the pie pan that is lined with one of the chilled unbaked pie crusts. Dot the top of the peach filling with the butter. Roll the other crust over the top, tuck the edges of the top crust under the edges of the bottom crust and crimp together. Brush the top of the crust with the heavy cream then cut a few slits in the top of the crust. Place the pie on the middle rack of a pre-heated oven at 400ºF, with a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any overflow during baking. Bake for 30 minutes at 400ºF, then cover the edges of the pie with strips of aluminium foil (to prevent burning) and lower the oven temperature to 375ºF. Continue baking for about 40 more minutes, until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling. Remove from oven and cool completely.
Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

About cooking with whisky by Scott Harris, owner of Catoctin Creek Distillery.

“It is generally accepted among cooking circles that alcohol is a flavour enhancer, so that is why people cook with wine. The same goes for whisky. What is interesting is that whisky makes an interesting substitution for what one would usually use as vanilla extract. Vanilla extract is really nothing more than the compound vanillin in a tincture of alcohol. Whisky, of course, is alcohol with vanillins that are derived from the barrel, plus the flavour of the grain. So in things like pie it’s a natural.”
Scott Harris, founder Catoctin Creek Distilling Co. in Virginia.