Lamar’s Libation

Lamar’s Libation started with a simple thought: my dad occasionally enjoyed a Jack and Coke. With Father’s Day coming up, I wondered what that familiar combination might look like if I built it from scratch using cocktail ingredients instead of cracking open a can of cola. Like many of my favorite experiments—including the Banana Bread Old Fashioned and Corny AF Old Fashioned—it started with a familiar flavor and a simple question: what happens if we take it a step further?

The goal wasn’t to create a bourbon and Coke clone. It was to capture the flavors that make the combination work in the first place: vanilla, caramel, warm spice, citrus oils, and bourbon. The result is richer, more layered, and a little more grown up, while still immediately recognizable. If you’re interested in how bitters and sweeteners can transform a whiskey drink, take a look at the classic Old Fashioned, which uses many of the same building blocks in a very different way.

If you’ve ever enjoyed a whiskey and cola but wished it felt a bit more “cocktail bar” and a little less “tailgate cooler,” Lamar’s Libation might be exactly what you’re looking for. It’s not quite an Old Fashioned and not quite a highball. Think of it as a tribute to one of the most popular whiskey drinks ever created, built from scratch using ingredients that highlight the same flavors found in both bourbon and cola. For a little background on the history of the Jack and Coke itself, Jack Daniel’s tells the story of the brand here, while Difford’s Guide covers the classic Whiskey Cola.

Lamar’s Libation

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Difficulty: Easy, Medium

Servings

Adjust servings

+

–

1

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Total time

15

minutes

Lamar’s Libation is a Father’s Day tribute inspired by my dad’s occasional Jack and Coke, built from bourbon, demerara, bitters, orange oils, and vanilla.

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Ingredients

US Metric

• 2 oz 2 bourbon

• 1/8 oz 1/8 rich demerara syrup

• 1/2-1 tsp 1/2-1 tsp bourbon vanilla bean paste mixture*

• 2 dashes 2 Angostura bitters

• 1 dash 1 orange bitters

• 1 drop 1 saline

• Orange peel, for garnish

Directions

• Cocktail
• Add ingredients to a mixing glass
• Stir with ice until well chilled
• Strain over a large cube in a rocks glass
• Express orange peel over the drink and garnish
• Vanilla Mixture
• Combine 1 tsp bourbon vanilla bean paste (Trader Joe’s has an excellent one), 1 tbsp hot water, and 1 tbsp rich demerara syrup until smooth

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Equipment

• 
  Classic Mixing GlassBuy From A Bar Above
• 
  Long Bar SpoonBuy From A Bar Above
• 
  Stainless Bell JiggerBuy From A Bar Above
• 
  Stainless Julep StrainerBuy From A Bar Above
• 
  Silicone Bar MatBuy From A Bar Above

Notes

• *Prep time includes demerara syrup and vanilla syrup preps.
  Prefer a drier version? Reduce the demerara syrup slightly.
  A higher-proof bourbon pushes the spice notes forward and makes the cola illusion even more convincing.
  Expressing the orange peel is not optional. The citrus oils do a surprising amount of heavy lifting here.
  If you’re making this for someone who normally orders bourbon and Coke, don’t tell them the concept first. Let them take a sip and see what happens.

Cocktail Recipes from Bourbony.co

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