To: Tradition Starters
From: Culinary Muse
Date: Holiday 2009
Subject: Spirited Love Story

Declared by Congress as America's Native Spirit and the country's official distilled spirit, bourbon has become a special part of many holidays. Our holiday selection is the Four Roses Mariage Collection.

The Story
While it may look like they misspelled a word, "Mariage" is actually the French word for marriage. An especially appropriate description of this new limited edition small batch Bourbon collection.

And marriage is linked to the tradition of the Four Roses brand. It began when Paul Jones, Jr., the founder of Four Roses Bourbon, became smitten by the beauty of a Southern belle. It is said that he sent a proposal to her, and she replied that if her answer were "Yes," she would wear a corsage of roses on her gown to the upcoming grand ball. Paul Jones waited for her answer excitedly on that night of the grand ball ... when she arrived in her beautiful gown, she wore a corsage of four red roses. He later named his Bourbon "Four Roses" as a symbol of his devout passion for the lovely belle, a passion he thereafter transferred to making his beloved Four Roses Bourbon.

So today, from time to time, our Master Distiller will select a few exceptional barrels and then, like an artist, marry their aromas, textures and flavors by hand to create a true masterpiece - an exquisite limited edition small batch Bourbon for the Mariage Collection. One time, two of Four Roses’ ten Bourbon recipes might be married together. Another time and it may be five.

Enjoy For The Holidays
"Cooking with bourbon or making a batch of eggnog during the Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays can be a wonderful family tradition," said Hall of Fame Master Distiller Jim Rutledge of Four Roses Bourbon in Lawrenceburg, Ky.

Rutledge said his distillery receives emails from across the country asking for an eggnog recipe that ran in a Life magazine advertisement in the 1930s.

"It makes us proud that we're able to continue being a part of those traditions to this day," Rutledge said.

Chef Dean Corbett of one of Louisville, Ky.'s fine-dining restaurants, Equus, believes bourbon can add interest and intrigue to many dishes that are perfect for holiday entertaining.

"Bourbon is such a versatile ingredient," Corbett said. "You can throw it in a sauce to enhance a savory dish like our Shrimp Jenkins. Its sweet notes also make it a natural for desserts like bread pudding and Bananas Foster."

Equus' bar manager and Louisville Magazine's pick for the city's best bartender, Joy Perrine suggests warming up a holiday party with bourbon as the featured punch ingredient, or a rich, steamy drink like the Hot Buttered Bourbon made with bourbon and real butter.

Four Roses Eggnog (from Life magazine ad, 1936)
•Beat separately yolks and whites of 6 eggs.
•Add 1/2 cup of sugar to yolks while beating.
•Add 1/4 cup of sugar to whites after they have been beaten very stiff.
•Mix egg whites with yolks.
•Stir in 1 pint of cream and 1 pint of milk.
•Add a pint of Four Roses and 1 oz. Jamaican rum. Stir thoroughly and serve very cold.

Hot Buttered Bourbon (from Joy Perrine's Kentucky Bourbon Cocktail Book, 2009)
•5 oz. hot water
•2 oz. spice-infused bourbon
•3/4 oz. brown sugar syrup
•1 oz. butter at room temp (no butter substitutes!)
•Combine water, bourbon and syrup. Stir well.
•Add the butter and stir rapidly to blend the butter into the rest of the mix. Serve immediately.

Four Roses

Previous | Next