The complex chemistry behind America’s spirit – how bourbon gets its distinctive taste and color

I’ve always (well, since I was of legal age to do so) enjoyed whiskeys of all stripes, but really became interested in creating my own concoctions, or learning/figuring out how to mix cocktails that I’d had elsewhere, when I helped a web design client build her own mixology/cocktail recipes site, mixnsip.com. In fact, I appear in a number of her videos sampling the results of her experiments. She even created a special scotch-based cocktail, “The Bob,” just for me. So now I’m sharing the wealth, so to speak. When I try a unique bourbon-based cocktail (really the only kind I drink), I then like to figure out how to make them at home. It’s easy when the bar or restaurant includes the ingredients on their menus — then it’s up to me to figure out the ratios, and let me tell you, half the fun is just getting there! Feel free to try any of these at home, and if you have one you’ve tried you’d like to share, send it to me and I’ll feature it on the site! Cheers!