Peach Bourbon Cocktail

Summers are perfect for a Peach Bourbon Cocktail.  An easy simple syrup, a dash of booze, and you’ll be feeling Peachy Keen!

I love peaches.  Love ’em.  I can’t wait for the first batch to show up in the stores, and I mourn it when they disappear from the shelves.  And canned peaches just don’t cut it (aside from spiced peaches at Thanksgiving, but that’s a different story).  But sinking your teeth into a nice juicy peach in the middle of the summer is just a sublime experience.  I might even give it the edge over peach pie (but just barely).  However, sometimes you want to enjoy that great peach flavor as you sit and relax at the end of the day, and this peach bourbon cocktail gives you that without having to worry about where to throw the pit.

It starts with peach simple syrup

While it would be great to blend some peaches into a drink, they don’t always yield the best texture, and there is always the skin to deal with.  So we’ll just keep the raw peaches separated from the final products to get all the flavor with none of the mess.  When you make the syrup, you’ll likely shake your head and think “Ross, this is way too many peaches for that amount of water.”  It looks like it is, but it’s not.  Just let the water simmer, and watch as the peaches break down in a big hurry.

You can make this with peaches that are still on the firmer side, but the riper the peach, the sweeter and more intense the final product will be.  Once the peaches have broken down a bit, add the sugar, some mint for freshness, and stir or swirl until the sugar is fully dissolved.  Remove from the heat, and let cool for 30 minutes.  Pour through a fine mesh strainer, and squeeze the solids with a spatula to get all the syrup you can.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.  (The color of the syrup, by the way, is unreal.  True to form, I ended up with a pink drink.)

Shake it up

This cocktail comes together in a jiffy.  I would recommend getting all the ingredients as cold as possible before mixing so that the ice doesn’t melt too much and water it down.  Other than that, there’s not a whole lot to it.  Add everything to a shaker with some ice, and shake the bejeesus out of it.  Pour it over a nice big ice cube in a glass and you are good to go.  Garnish with a piece of peach, and serve it up.  Enjoy the taste of summer!

Ingredients

• For the peach simple syrup
• 4 peaches
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup fresh mint, lightly packed
• 1 cup water
• For the cocktail
• 2 oz lemon juice
• 3 oz bourbon
• 4 oz syrup

Instructions

• Make the peach simple syrup
• Cut the peaches into eighths, and discard the pit. Place them in a medium saucepan, and add the water.
• Bring the water to a simmer, and let it cook, covered for 7-10 minute. The peaches will start to break down.
• Add the sugar and allow it to simmer until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.
• Let the syrup sit for 30 minutes at room temperature.
• Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Assemble the cocktail

1. In a cocktail shaker, combine the lemon juice, bourbon, and syrup with ice.
2. Shake well, and strain into a glass with a big ice cube. Garnish with peach slices and mint.

credit@readytoyumble.com