What better way to celebrate National Whiskey Sour Day than with Gentleman Jack and the Media and Social Influencers of the Atlanta scene. On a mildly warm weekend afternoon dozens of Atlanta’s glitterati gathered to kick back let down their hair and have a drink with the Tennessee based whiskey distiller. Bartenders served up three distinct whiskey sours the Modern Sour, a twist on an old classic, the Peach Sour, which balanced the smooth taste of whiskey with the sweet undertones of peach syrup, and what became my personal favorite the Spa Day Sour, muddled cucumber with pamplemousse (French for grapefruit) syrup. I think I’ll contact my favorite spa and have them add that to the menu along with the wines they serve. The Gentleman Jack brand is double charcoal. Charcoal mellowing is a process that is only down with Tennessee distilleries, whereby the pour the whiskey through maple charcoal before they put it into cask for aging, for double mellowing the process is repeated a second time before bottling. This lead the whiskey to being exceptionally smooth and balanced, the cask aging infuses Gentleman Jack with flavors caramel and vanilla with hints of oak.
As I moved about the event space, Upstairs Atlanta in the heart of West Midtown, I took part in several conversations ranging from Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s OTR II tour, to international travel tips, balling out in Thailand with ten dollars and everyone’s favorite question “What are you watching?” The most interesting tidbit came from one of the beautiful bartenders who informed me that Whiskeys Sours originated with the British fleet. Due to the fact that clean drinking water was a scarce rarity on long sea voyages, the men would drink whiskey with lemon or lime juice, and sugar added. Over the years the drink has been modified and reinvented hundreds of time as proven by the three variations party goers where privy to. My thanks to the British Armada.
Whiskey Sour Recipe
2 oz. Gentleman Jack
1 oz. Sour mix
1 oz. Simple Syrup
Combine all three ingredients shake vigorously and pour over ice. Drink responsibly.
