Summertime and the living’s easy…and hot. Very hot, in fact, if you live in Texas. I like a stiff drink most hours of the day, but sometimes I want an easy sipper. Something refreshing I can drink through a straw while reading a book poolside and listening to one of the all-time great summer slow jams – “Doin’ Time” by Sublime. RIP Bradley Nowell.
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Track 02 is bourbon-fortified shandy. I call it the El Hefe because it features my favorite anytime beer – Live Oak Hefeweizen. Morning or evening, hungover or stone-cold sober, hot weather or cold. It’s the perfect beer for all occasions, and its vanilla, banana and clove notes are perfect for this bourbon cocktail.
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El Hefe starts with a healthy pour of Bulleit bourbon into a shaker filled with ice. I add fresh lemon juice and a pair of infused simple syrups – the first infused with rosemary and the second infused with ginger.
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The rosemary syrup is easy to make – add equal parts water and sugar to a sauce plan along with a handful of rosemary sprigs, let it steep under low heat for 10-15 and then stir until the sugar is fully dissolved into the water. Strain out the leftover herb and you are all set.
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The ginger syrup is slightly more involved. I peel and chop 1/4 cup fresh ginger, then add it to a food processor along with 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar. (Note: You should technically measure by weight rather than volume, but as long as you are consistent in how you make your syrup you can ensure a predictable level of sweet and spicy in each batch.) After blending the ginger, sugar and water in the food processor I pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a container. The remaining ginger will collect in the strainer; I use a muddler to express the last of the ginger juice into the container.
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After adding the syrups to the shaker, I throw in a few dashes of Fee Bros peach bitters and shake for 10 seconds. I strain into a Collins glass filled with ice, top it off with Live Oak Hefeweizen. Lastly, I garnish with a lemon wheel and a rosemary sprig.
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El Hefe
Pairs well with “Doin’ Time” by Sublime
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 oz Bulleit bourbon
- 3/4 oz lemon juice
- 1/2 oz rosemary-infused simple syrup (see above for recipe)
- 1/4 oz ginger-infused simple syrup (see above for recipe)
- 5 dashes Fee Bros peach bitters
- Top with Live Oak Hefeweizen
- Lemon wheel and rosemary sprig for garnish
Instructions
- Add bourbon, lemon juice, rosemary and ginger syrups, and bitters to a shaker filled with ice. Shake for 10 seconds.
- Fill a Collins glass with cube ice, a lemon wheel and a rosemary sprig.
- Strain your booze into the ice-filled Collins glass. Top with Live Oak Hefeweizen.