#frenchdrinks

French Kiss

Filibuster dual cask bourbon was a fitting choice for this sweet bourbon cocktail. This bourbon is finished in French wine casks to soften the spice of the Virginia spirit. I was glad that there wasn't much lemon juice in the cocktail made me excited to try this one. Alas, I was disappointed by how sweet it was.

Part of the problem was that the amount of apricot brandy was overkill. Use a half ounce. Then two tsp. of grenadine can impart the color and sweetness without overdoing it.

2 oz. bourbon (Filibuster dual cask used)

1 oz. apricot brandy (1/2 oz. recommended

1 tsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. grenadine

Soul Kiss

I know I've done this drink before. It's a great one, the cocktail that I bought my first bottle of Dubonnet Rouge just to do. I remember being excited to try it. But now when I search for it on my website, it is not there. All the other Dubonnet drinks I've done are there, but not this one. I guess I'll just have to have it again. Sigh! Soul Kiss is another word for French kiss. It is the title of a lesser-known Olivia Newton John song, by the way, and I think of it as a French cocktail in the Kiss series with the French Kiss, another bourbon drink, and the Kiss Me Quick. I've got better ingredients this time around. Fresh squeezed orange juice helps a lot. So does Filibuster dual cask bourbon aged in oak and French sauvignon blanc casks. Then the spicy notes of Rivata dry vermouth are really interesting. This drink is foremost a bourbon drink, but Dubonnet Rouge gives it this bright red color and an herbal and sweet flavor that is hard to miss.