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    Home » Appetizers » Bourbon Riki

    Bourbon Riki

    Published: Oct 8, 2015 · Modified: Oct 25, 2022 by Linda Baker · This post may contain affiliate links

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    A Vero Beach bar collaboration yielded this very refreshing cocktail we named Bourbon Riki after Riki, our original bourbon drinking inspiration

    A refreshing Bourbon Riki in a cocktail glass.

    The story behind Bourbon Riki

    When BB and I travel, we like to visit bars. Usually, it's a local bar, nightclub, joint, sometimes it's just the hotel bar. I love to meet and talk with people, from the area, or in the case of most hotel bars, not from the area. Get their story. What they think about their hometown, or why are they there - not at home. And if there's entertainment, all the better because if you know me, you know I LOVE to dance.

    On a recent trip to Vero Beach Florida, we met a lovely couple in the hotel lounge/bar, Riki and her husband Paul. They were traveling from North Carolina and that being BB's next stop on his wine sales road trip, he was interested in talking to them about what's up in NC. And being a wine sales road warrior, he is always interested in "do you drink wine" and to follow that up with "did you grow up with wine".

    "Oh hells no" responds Riki "I was raised in the south, where we were raised on bourbon." Wine came later into their lives. BB, having been raised by parents from Texas and Ohio, was also raised in a bourbon home. So the conversation turns from wine to bourbon. And bourbon drinks.

    The "Baker Manhattan" is a mainstay holiday drink. Or Sunday drink. An interesting combination of bourbon, vermouth, and bitters, served with an olive. Handed down from father to son, Trevor is now a pro at making them.

    Riki tells us one of her favorite drinks is bourbon and cranberry juice. Hmm? That sounds like a strange combination. So we order one from our bartender Rachael, who, in all her years of bartending, had never had anyone ever order bourbon and cranberry.

    Bourbon Riki in a martini glass.

    We taste. We think.

    "I think it needs something citric, lime juice I think," I say.

    Rachael adds a squeeze. It's better.

    "I think it needs some bitters," says BB.

    Rachael adds a dash of bitters. It's good.

    So that is how Bourbon Rikki came to be.

    bourbon riki ingredients on a napkin

    And of course, as all good recipes start, on a napkin...right?

    I think these would be perfect with the perfect bar food of Spicy Nuts. 

    LindySez: I made this recipe to test right from the napkin. Gotta do our research, right? It's good but after making it, shooting it, and thinking about drinking it, I added a splash of sparkling water. And I liked it better with the sparkle. So that's how the first variation was found for you! The second one I haven't tested, but it sounds good. If you test it, let me know!

    A refreshing Bourbon Riki in a cocktail glass.

    Bourbon Riki

    LindySez
    A Vero Beach bar collaboration yielded this very refreshing cocktail we named Bourbon Riki after Riki, our original bourbon drinking inspiration.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Total Time 5 mins
    Course Drinks
    Cuisine American
    Servings 1 serving

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 ounces bourbon any kind will do, choose your fav
    • 3 to 4 ounces cranberry juice even Ocean Spray© will work
    • 1 dash Angostura bitters
    • ¼ ounce lime juice about the squeeze of ¼ lime

    Instructions
     

    • Combine the ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake, shake, shake...pour pour pour into a martini type glass or old fashioned glass (leaving the ice in the shaker). Garnish with a lime slice, if desired.

    Notes

    Variation 1: Use a tall glass and add sparkling water. 
    Variation 2: Wet the glass rim with some lime juice and dip into sugar.

    Keyword bourbon, bourbon cranberry, cocktail
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Hi, I'm Lindy.

    I am a home-trained chef who loves to cook and eat delicious food. As I like to say, "Life is too short to eat mediocre food". And I find too much food out there is mediocre. I don't think good food needs to be fussy, or difficult to prepare. Most of my recipes are fresh, quick, easy, and tasty while keeping both calories and fats in check. 

    More about me →

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