Bourbon Renewal

Ingredients

serves makes 1 cocktail, active time 5 minutes, total time 5 minutes

• 2 ounces bourbon
• 1 ounce fresh juice from one lemon
• 1/2 ounce crème de cassis
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup (see note above), or less to taste
• 1 dash Angostura bitters

Procedures

1. Add bourbon, lemon, crème de cassis, simple syrup, and bitters to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake until well chilled, about 15 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled Old Fashioned glass.

Bourbon Blondies with Walnuts

Special equipment

9- by 9-inch baking pan

Ingredients

serves makes one 8- by 8-inch square pan, or 9 blondies

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

Procedures

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
   Grease 8- by 8-inch pan with butter.
   
2. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg, vanilla, and salt and beat until well combined. Beat in bourbon. Add flour and beat until just incorporated. Stir in walnuts. Pour batter into pan and bake just until golden and a cake tester inserted into the middle of the blondies comes out clean, 20-25minutes. Let cool in pan 15 minutes before cutting into squares.