Drinks
Cuffs and Buttons
A homemade version of Southern Comfort
photo: Johnny Autry
Ingredients
-
1 750-ml bottle of higher-proof bourbon
1 inch vanilla bean, split
1 inch cinnamon stick
4 cloves
18 dried cherries
1 dried apricot, halved
1/4 orange, chunked
1/4 lemon, chunked
3/4 cup honey
1/3 cup peach brandy
Preparation
Pour bourbon into a sealable wide-mouth container, such as a quart-size mason jar. Add vanilla bean, cinnamon, cloves, cherries, apricot, orange, and lemon, and steep, covered, for 5 days to a week.
Strain liquid through a fine-mesh sieve, then return it to the jar and discard the fruits and spices. Warm honey in a small saucepan over low heat, adding a few tablespoons of water to help liquefy. Add the honey and peach brandy to the infused bourbon. (You can adjust the sweetness level by adding more honey or more bourbon, and the alcohol level by adding water.)
Serve neat or over ice.
Recipe from The Picayune’s Creole Cook Book
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