For Those Who Have Shunned a Bourbon Whiskey

I have been drinking bourbon whiskey. That’s not an excuse for my behavior, btw, it’s simply a new thing in my life. How I got to be over 60 years of age and had never developed an affinity for bourbon is beyond me. Especially when I spent the last 8 years negotiating and selling short sales in Sacramento–because if short sales don’t push you over the edge, I don’t know what will. I became curious about bourbon whiskey after reading about bourbon in Mental Floss. Thought I’d give it a try to determine my reaction.

Back in the old days, and by old days, I mean in the early 1970s in Nederland, Colorado, my friends used to drink Jack Daniel off the bar, right after they snorted some Peppermint Schnapps off the bar. We didn’t give much thought to sanitary conditions in those days. Besides, the alcohol content killed all bacteria, we decided.

I have concluded that I should have given bourbon a chance all those years ago when I regularly stayed out late to party and now can’t stay up past 9 PM. My partying days now are a thing of the past. But no, I had turned up my nose at any type of whiskey. It choked. It burned. It stung. It was awful, was my deduction. I was such a kid. A neophyte.

Bourbon, in case you didn’t know, is made from corn, at least 51% corn in the ingredients. And it must be aged in a charred oak barrel. The best authentic place to get your bourbon from is Kentucky. You sip it slowly. I read that Allison Janey credited a crew hand for giving her a shot of bourbon before she shot those nude sex scenes with Beau Bridges in Masters of Sex. I can see how it would help.

Bourbon is creamy and smooth with just a little bit of bite. It changes intensity when ice cubes melt in the glass and morphs into a different drink. If you haven’t tried bourbon lately, I encourage you to try it. Open up your horizons. Especially if you’re in escrow to buy a home in Sacramento, because these are trying times we are forced to struggle with.

Or go to Ella Dining downtown Sacramento. Last month they celebrated bourbon and bacon — much as I love bacon, I’m not game for stuffing large quantities of bacon past my lips. But in August, they switched to lobster, and a girl can’t turn that down a chilled whole Maine lobster. Plus, you haven’t lived, trust me, until you sip a Manhattan at Ella: made with its own two-barrel blend of Kentucky bourbon, sweet vermouth and bitters. Then select one of the excellent bourbon flight offerings, small 1/2 ounce samples.

Make sure to bring along a designated driver and whatever happens, don’t end up like Sen. Ben Hueso.