Tastier tipples from Tennessee

Brown-Forman Australia brand ambassador Grant Shearon was in Bangkok last week to enlighten whiskey lovers: It turns out that the spirit they adore doesn’t need to be taken on the rocks but can instead be enjoyed in cocktails that can be made at home quite simply.
With experience spanning 20 years in some of the UK’s finest establishments, Shearon has been with Brown-Forman for six years, spreading his knowledge about good drinks across Queensland and South Australia. In Bangkok he conducted a Jack Daniel’s master class, educating bar personnel about the brand and showing them how to make super-easy yet delicious cocktails.
Shearon explained that Jasper Newton “Jack” Daniel began marketing his Tennessee whiskey in Lynchburg 139 years ago and it’s since become the best-selling American whiskey in the world, with 11 million cases sold last year alone.
The light, smooth, toasty and sensually sweet whiskey is made with corn, rye and malted barley and is distilled in copper vats. It’s then filtered drop by drop (“mellowed”, as they say) through three-metre stacks of sugar-maple charcoal. This extra step, known as “the Lincoln County process”, is one of the key factors that yield the brand’s unique taste.
After mellowing, the whiskey is stored in oak barrels freshly crafted by hand, which give the whiskey its colour and most of its characteristic flavour.
Besides the flagship tipple, Old No 7, Jack Daniel’s has several other labels. Single Barrel is hand-selected for its one-of-a-kind flavour, robust taste and notes of toasted oak, vanilla and caramel. Gentleman Jack is the only whiskey in the world to be charcoal-mellowed twice. Tennessee Honey offers hints of honey and a finish that’s naturally smooth.
All of these can be typically enjoyed with ice or a dash of water, but they’re also great base spirits for cocktails. Shearon demonstrated the preparation of a few, starting with the oldest of cocktails, the Old Fashion.
Instead of using sugar cubes, since they often leave grainy bits at the bottom of the glass, he turned to sugar syrup – two parts sugar and one part water – and suggested other sweeteners, such as agave, if you can get some. The rest is easy: whiskey, bitters and ice. Play around with different bitters to jazz it up and garnish with orange peel.
The refreshing Jack Julep takes less than a minute to make. You mix Old No 7, sugar syrup, mint sprigs and crushed ice. “Muddle” the leaves with the syrup and pour in the rest. Add a dash of bitters if you like. The proportions are totally up to you as long as you maintain a balance of sweet, bitter and sour.
A hot afternoon begs to be cooled, and the Lynchburg Lemonade answers. Pour some Gentleman Jack, orange liqueur and lemon juice over a block of ice, mix well and top with Sprite or soda water. Then there’s the Coco Jack, a simple mix of coconut water, Tennessee Honey and lots of crushed ice.


Your pal Jack
Find out more thirst-quenching secrets at www.JackDaniels.com.