Name: Kentucky Colonel
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 60 ml Bourbon whiskey; 15 ml Bénédictine D.O.M.

Ingredients

2 fl oz

Bourbon whiskey

1/2 fl oz

Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur

How to make

Glass

Prepare

Select and pre-chill an OLD-FASHIONED GLASS.

Prepare garnish of lemon zest twist.

Method

STIR all ingredients with ice.

STRAIN into ice-filled glass (preferably over a large cube or chunk of block ice).

Garnish

EXPRESS lemon zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Flavour Profile

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

Health & Nutrition

Alcohol content:

1.9 standard drinks
34.65% alc./vol. (69.29° proof)
26 grams of pure alcohol

History

The Kentucky Colonel first appears in Jacques Straub's 1914 Manual of Mixed Drinks. This recipe is adapted from a recipe in Stanley M. Jones' 1977 Jones' Complete Barguide.

Kentucky Colonel Cocktail
¼ jigger benedictine.
¾ jigger bourbon.
1 piece of lemon peel.
Stir well and serve in an old style glass.

Jacques Straub, Manual of Mixed Drinks, 1914

KENTUCKY COLONEL
Cocktail Glass
Stir
1¾ Bourbon
¾ Benedictine
Lemon twist

Stanley M. Jones, Jones' Complete Barguide, 1977

Comments & Discussion

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Matt Premium Member 1y

I tried it a couple of ways - as written above, then using a 3:1 ratio (bourbon:Benedictine - as in the historical Jacques Straub version above), and then using a splash of cold water to dilute. I liked a (barely) diluted 3:1 ratio the best - you get the expression of the rich notes of Benedictine that yields to the bourbon flavors in the mid and finish, with the dilution helping separate the flavors and bump the boozy heat down a bit.

Peter M Premium Member 1y

I think I prefer this with a 3:1 ratio too...

Joshua Perez 1y

Currently, this recipe references Stan Jones's recipe and credits Harry Craddock in 1930. I couldn't find it in the Savoy Cocktail Book. However, I did find it in the 1933 UKBG Approved Cocktail Book. Are you referencing an earlier UKBG recipe?

Also, I found recipes from the Kentucky Colonel in Jacques Straub's Manual of Mixed Drinks from 1913 and Drinks from 1914

Simon Difford Verified User Premium Member 1y

Sorry. The original quote should have referenced Stan Jones. I’ve corrected and added a quote from Jacques Straub. Many thanks for letting me know and sharing your research.

Nils Marklund 2y

Wow! So few ingridients and so many layers of flavour. As G M Genovese says in the comments: "A little bit of Benedictine goes a long way in richly rounding out a spirit". I used Four roses small batch for this drink. Wich is a "bottom shelf bourbon", i guess. But the Benedictine just took it to a new level.

Miguel Perales Premium Member 2y

As stated in the description above, this was very reminiscent of an Old Fashioned. I added 2 splashes of Angostura bitters and I also flamed the lemon peel oil. Think of it as adding a subtle lemon finish to an Old Fashioned. Really liked this cocktail.

G. M. Genovese Premium Member 2y

Just confirms my earlier experiments with B&B and various whiskies... A little bit of Benedictine goes a long way in richly rounding out a spirit... Used Wild Turkey 101 here. Very nice. (8 Dec 2023, 3:45p)