Recipe

Buck to the Future

Name: Buck to the Future
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Yield: 1 cocktail
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 1½ oz. Blade and Bow Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey; ½ oz. amaro; ½ oz. ginger syrup; ¼ oz. sherry; ¾ oz. strawberry-basil-balsamic puree (recipe follows); ½ oz. lemon juice; Black pepper; 1 basil sprig; 4 oz. fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled and quartered; 1 tbsp. plus ¾ tsp. sugar; 1 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar (or regular balsamic for deeper color); ¾ tsp. basil chiffonade (thinly sliced basil leaves), plus more for garnish

Strawberries. Basil. A kick of bourbon.

Recipe by Mathew Korzelius

October 15, 2025

The cocktail known as Buck to the Future might also be called Bucking Tradition, as Mathew Korzelius, mixologist at Austin’s Roosevelt Room, seems committed to supplying a surprise. In this case that means punching up Blade and Bow bourbon with the tart and tasty addition of strawberry-basil-balsamic puree. The result is a splashy sip you’ll want to keep coming back to.

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Buck to the Future

Yield: 1 cocktail

For the cocktail

- 1½ oz. Blade and Bow Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- ½ oz. amaro
- ½ oz. ginger syrup
- ¼ oz. sherry
- ¾ oz. strawberry-basil-balsamic puree (recipe follows)
- ½ oz. lemon juice
- Black pepper
- 1 basil sprig

For the strawberry-basil-balsamic puree (yields ½ cup)

- 4 oz. fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 1 tbsp. plus ¾ tsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar (or regular balsamic for deeper color)
- ¾ tsp. basil chiffonade (thinly sliced basil leaves), plus more for garnish

Preparation

Make the puree: Blend strawberries, sugar, basil, and balsamic vinegar in a blender or mini food processor. Blend until smooth and liquid. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing with a spoon or spatula to extract as much liquid as possible.
Mix the cocktail: Add first six ingredients to a shaker. Short shake and Hawthorne-strain over a large ice cube into a double old-fashioned glass, and garnish with basil and five cracks of black pepper.

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