It’s August, it’s hot and sunny, and I love it! I’m one of those people who loves the heat, not humidity (there’s a reason why I don’t live in the Midwest and South anymore). And, of course, when it’s hot I get thirsty and although a strong glass of iced tea can quench my thirst when my work day is finished, I’m looking for something that looks like iced tea but with a decidedly heavier kick to it. Of course, I’m talking about bourbon.
In previous articles I’ve had the fortune to visit and interview bartenders at restaurants and bars that have an extensive selection of whiskeys, ryes, and bourbons—not one establishment has had less than 125 options. This month, I thought it would be interesting to interview the bar manager at a restaurant with a much smaller selection—less than 50 bottles of the brown spirit. Meet Minetta Gould, bar manager at The Squeaky Bean.
Minetta poured me a taste of Four Roses yellow label bourbon and I was quite surprised at the lightness of this bourbon. I have mentioned in a previous article that Breckenridge bourbon would be a good starter bourbon because of its sweeter and very well rounded flavor, and it still would be. Having said that, the Four Roses yellow label is very light and would also be a very good starter bourbon; there isn’t one taste profile that stands out to me other than it is well blended, using up to ten different recipes with a minimum corn mash of 60 percent and can go up to 75 percent. Four Roses is the only distillery that uses five proprietary yeast strains with two different mash builds to produce ten different recipes, of which they blend to get their family of bourbons.
They start with a name first then they create what they think represents that name.
Fun Fact: Four Roses was one of six distilleries to operate during prohibition for medicinal purposes. Hmmm, I don’t ever recall any medicine I’ve taken that tasted like bourbon—perhaps that’s a good thing.
As I was tasting the Four Roses yellow label, Minetta explained to me how she and her bar staff (there are five bartenders, of which three are women) comes up with cocktails: They start with a name first then they create what they think represents that name. I’m sure her degree in creative writing helps with this exercise and one of her fellow bartenders, Jessica Fasy, has a master’s in education. So, we know the bar staff at The Squeaky Bean are not only talented, but they are smart too. Minetta comes from a family of bartenders too—no, not her father or grandfather but her mother and grandmother.
The Squeaky Bean carries the people’s bourbons (sounds like my friend Robert Sickler, who just happens to be a master of whiskey for Diageo, some people have the best jobs!). They do have a couple of sipping bourbons, Pappy included, and yes they still have some, but primarily their shelves are filled with bourbons meant for cocktails—which works with the theme of The Squeaky Bean. After all, there is a large bingo board on the wall for the bingo brunch.
I asked Minetta what is their best selling cocktail they have and wouldn’t you know it, it’s a whiskey cocktail called Uncle Jesse, after the Dukes of Hazard character. A riff on a Manhattan (aren’t they all?), it is a blend of Old Grandad, Espinheira (Portugese liquer made from the ginga berry—similar to a cherry soaked in brandy) and stirred with ice, strained and, yes, a Luxarado cherry. It was delicious.
They have a cocktail on the menu now called the Miss Yvonne, a busty brunette, after the character from PeeWee’s Playhouse. Minetta created a cocktail that was bold and refreshing. I’m not sure that is what she had in mind when she created the cocktail but that’s how it tasted and I’m telling you right now, it’s a dangerous cocktail because it’s so easy to drink. This would be an excellent cocktail for someone who wants to ease into bourbon drinks. Minetta also uses a liquer called Capelletti, a spirit made mostly from the Trebbiano grape with a bitterness somewhere between Aperol and Campari and it does have some citrus notes to it as well. Interestingly enough, the Capelletti gets more bitter as it warms up but is sweeter when it is chilled—which is kind of cool because your drink can change as you enjoy it…which is what I did, enjoyed it a lot. In full disclosure, it wasn’t in my glass long enough for my to taste how the drink changed. Guess I’ll have to go back for another one.
So, without further ado, let me introduce you to Miss Yvonne.
Miss Yvonne
2 oz. Four Roses yellow label
1/2 oz. of Amaro Nadari
1/2 oz. of Capelletti
Stir with ice, strain into an Old Fashioned glass with one ice cube, flame an orange peel.
Join me on August 15 at 6:30 p.m. at Brook’s Steakhouse for a bourbon dinner with Robert Sickler. Here’s a good tip: We’re going to finish with Rhetoric. The four course dinner is $60 plus tax and tip. You can make reservations at (303) 770-1177.
Photo credit: Alan Hill Photo (Denver Photographer)
About the Author: Becky Creighton
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