How To Make The Equinox Smoke & Spice Old Fashioned

Welcome to Episode 89 of Thirsty Thursday Cocktails on Your Bourbon Journey! Tonight, Rebecca crafts the Equinox Smoke & Spice, a dark, spirit-forward smoked Old Fashioned created to welcome the crisp nights of the autumn equinox.

Anchored by the bold 27% high-rye backbone and oily viscosity of Old Grand-Dad 114 Single Barrel, this recipe layers subtle barrel-aged sweetness with aromatic complexity. Sweetened with just a whisper of bourbon barrel aged maple syrup and infused with Fee Brothers Turkish Tobacco and Aztec Chocolate bitters, this build finishes under a rich canopy of fragrant cherry wood smoke.

Whether you are hosting friends by the firepit or looking to elevate your home bar cocktail smoking technique, this balanced, non-sweet, spirit-forward build is an absolute must-try for bourbon lovers.

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🍂 Cocktail Recipe: Equinox Smoke & Spice

  • 2.0 oz Old Grand-Dad 114 Single Barrel Bourbon
  • 1 barspoon (0.15 oz) Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup
  • 2 dashes Fee Brothers Turkish Tobacco Bitters
  • 2 dashes Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters
  • Wood Smoke: Cherry wood chips

🥃 Instructions:

  1. In a mixing glass, combine the bourbon, barrel-aged maple syrup, Turkish tobacco bitters, and Aztec chocolate bitters.
  2. Add dense ice and stir thoroughly until well chilled and properly diluted.
  3. Strain into a double rocks glass over a large clear ice cube.
  4. Place your cocktail smoking chimney top on the glass, fill with cherry wood chips, and ignite with your torch.
  5. Allow the smoke to infuse into the spirit, remove the top, and enjoy the rich hearth aromas!

🚨REMEMBER TO ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY🚨

NOTE: The spirits and items in this review were purchased by us. We were not compensated by the producers for this review. 

#SmokedOldFashioned #BourbonCocktails #OldGrandDad114 #ThirstyThursday #CocktailRecipe #FallCocktails #CraftCocktails #OldFashioned #SmokedCocktails #BourbonJourney #WhiskeyTasting #BourbonLover #CocktailSmoker #BourbonBarrelAged #HomeBartender

How to Make the Perfect Harvest Bramble Sour

Welcome to Episode 88 of Thirsty Thursday Cocktails on Your Bourbon Journey! Tonight, Rebecca crafts The Harvest Bramble Sour, a crisp, layered amaro-sour hybrid designed to celebrate late-season fruit, robust Indiana grain, and bittersweet alpine botanicals.

By pairing the 100-proof backbone of Starlight Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon with the rich, jammy depth of Starlight Blackberry Whiskey, this cocktail skips cloying syrups in favor of complexity. Amaro Nonino adds an elegant, bitter-orange mid-palate, fresh lemon juice provides a vibrant sour snap, and orchard plum bitters tie the entire autumn profile together.

If you love spirit-forward whiskey sours with depth, balance, and a dry, sophisticated finish, this is your new go-to fall cocktail.

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🥃 THE RECIPE: The Harvest Bramble Sour

  • 1.50 oz Starlight Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon
  • 0.75 oz Starlight Blackberry Whiskey
  • 0.75 oz Amaro Nonino Quintessentia
  • 0.50 oz Fresh Lemon Juice (double strained)
  • 2 dashes Fee Brothers Plum Bitters
  • Garnish: Luxardo Maraschino Cherry

🚨REMEMBER TO ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY🚨

NOTE: The spirits and items in this review were purchased by us. We were not compensated by the producers for this review. 

#Bourbon #CocktailRecipe #WhiskeySour #YourBourbonJourney #StarlightDistillery #AmaroNonino #CraftCocktails #BourbonCocktails #ThirstyThursday #FallCocktails #Mixology #HomeBartender #BrambleSour #WhiskeyLovers #CocktailHour

How to Make The Autumn Envoy | Fall Bourbon Cocktail 

Welcome to Episode 87 of Thirsty Thursday Cocktails on Your Bourbon Journey! Tonight, we’re stepping into the cooler September evenings with The Autumn Envoy—a deep, brooding, and decadent twist on the classic 1920s Boulevardier.

Instead of traditional Campari, we’re leaning into savory, earthy depth by bringing in Cynar 70 Amaro. Paired with the rich cocoa and botanical vanilla of Cocchi di Torino Sweet Vermouth, allspice-forward Bittercube Jamaican #1 Bitters, and the bold backbone of a 110-proof Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel, this cocktail delivers an unbelievably silky, viscous texture and a lingering cracked-pepper finish.

Grab your mixing glass, chill a coupe, and let’s craft the ultimate spirit-forward autumn sipper!

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🥃 The Autumn Envoy Recipe: 

  • • 1.75 oz Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon (110 Proof) 
  • • 0.75 oz Cynar 70 Amaro 
  • • 0.75 oz Cocchi di Torino Sweet Vermouth 
  • • 2 Dashes (or 20 Drops) Bittercube Jamaican #1 Bitters 
  • • Garnish: Expressed Orange Peel

🚨REMEMBER TO ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY🚨

NOTE: The spirits and items in this review were purchased by us. We were not compensated by the producers for this review. 

#Boulevardier #BourbonCocktails #FallCocktails #YourBourbonJourney #ThirstyThursday #Cynar70 #AmaroCocktails #RussellsReserve #CraftCocktails #HomeBartender #WhiskeyTasting #CocktailRecipe #DrinkResponsibly #CocktailHour #Mixology