Thanksgiving Cocktails: Cinnamon Spiced Bourbon

Thanksgiving Countdown: T-Minus 19

Here's a lovely autumn-flavored cocktail to offer your guests while they settle in with appetizers on the big day.

Cinnamon Spiced Bourbon
Honey bourbon is, as its name suggests, bourbon infused with honey. Some popular brands to try are Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, and Jack Daniels. The flavor is subtle, warmly sweet, and surprisingly complex—often lingering with afternotes of vanilla, oak, and spice. It’s nice as a sipping bourbon, but I love what it does for cocktails like this one.

Makes 2 cocktails

• 1 oz Cinnamon Simple Syrup
• 4 oz honey bourbon
• 1 1/2 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 oz ginger liqueur

For Cinnamon Simple Syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 4 cinnamon sticks

1. To make Cinnamon Simple Syrup: Combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water with 4 cinnamon sticks in a small saucepan. Bring to boil; let boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Store in refrigerator.
2. Combine bourbon, lemon juice, cinnamon syrup, and ginger liqueur in a shaker with ice and shave vigorously.
3. Fill two rocks glasses with ice and strain bourbon mixture over.
4. Garnish with cinnamon sticks if desired.