Chris Ferri and Nicole Roberts at the Peabody's Cochon Heritage BBQ rooftop party.
Warming up to bourbon was one of the unexpected consequences from my three-day party blow-out at the Cochon Heritage BBQ. Bourbon shared the stage with heritage breed pork for the Memphis event, especially at the kick-off rooftop party at the Peabody downtown.
That's where I finally met Chris Ferri, the stellar bartender at Sweet Grass in Cooper-Young, who was mixing a cocktail called Fleur de Lis with Eagle Rare Bourbon. Eagle Rare has been getting lots of press lately, and it was delicious. But my appreciation probably had more to do with Ferri's cocktail than the bourbon's complex aroma of “toffee, orange peel, herbs, honey, leather (what?) and oak.”
I was thrilled that Ferri shared his recipe, along with this advice: “Pour it over ice, give it a stir, and you’re ready to roll,” Ferri said. Resist shaking, he warned. “Shaking just dilutes the drink.”
Fleur de Lis
1½ ounces Eagle Rare Bourbon
½ ounce black raspberry Dijon mustard
½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ ounce Dolin Vermouth de Chambery
3 ounces Seagram’s ginger ale
Combine ingredients, pour over ice, and stir gently.
