Iron Wolf Big Tex
For most of us Texans when we hear Big Tex it brings memories of the 52′ Cowboy and fried food from our beloved State Fair. Well, this cocktail ain’t fried, but it is big on flavor. The Iron Wolf Big Tex is a bold citrus forward cocktail guaranteed to quench your thirst on a hot day.
We can tell you everything you want to know about our cowboy, but there is not much info on the origin of this cocktail. Cheers to the inventor of this hidden gem whoever they may be.
Since we don’t know how it came about we can share our thoughts to what makes this a refreshing cocktail. The citrus, sweet and bitter flavors of our official State Fruit, the grapefruit. The juice from a Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit gives the cocktail the vibrancy needed to withstand a hot day. Look at Shiner’s Ruby Red beer, that is a perfect summer beer.
You can have too much citrus so you better pick a bourbon that can hold its own against this powerhouse of a fruit. Which is why we chose Iron Wolf Rand and Distilleries Select Bourbon. This bourbon has the familiar scents. Vanilla and caramel come first, but you give pause to aromas of berry and clove. Another pass brings you hints of rose or honeysuckle. The taste is what you suspect from your initial inquiry. Flavors of vanilla, caramel with hints of a fresh rose. Then the wolf comes out biting your tongue with a sharp spice of black pepper. Luckily the bite does not last long. That spice and honeysuckle flavors are what make this a great bourbon for the Big Tex cocktail.
The cocktail needs a few more ingredients to round out the flavors. Some fresh basil to add some aroma and earthy flavor. Some simple syrup to curb the sour from the citrus and ice to cool it down and you are complete.
The Iron Wolf Big Tex is summer in a glass. The citrus and basil balance the high rye bourbon.
Iron Wolf Big Tex
Ingredients
1 oz fresh grapefruit juice
.25 oz simple syrup
2 basil leaves
1.5 oz Iron Wolf Select Bourbon
How to make
Mix ingredients in a shaker filled with ice
Shake well
Strain into glass over ice
Garnish (optional)
Other cocktails perfect for the summer are the Treaty Oak Mint Julep, Andalusia Mojito, and Texas Lemonade.