How to Cocktail: Valentine's Day 2022 with Fitz Bailey, Cooper's Craft

0:00 Hey everybody, Welcome to the podcast. We are back with another special bonus episode. Bonus episode Brad. It is that time of year, again for fat babies shooting arrows. Hearts everywhere bog. Let's flowers Love Is in the Air. Yes it is. My friend. It is almost Valentine's Day and you know what that means? We are making some romantic cocktails on the filament whiskey podcast today. Oh, I thought it meant that people were just complaining thing about how it's a Hallmark holiday and nobody actually cares. And love is dead, and that's usually what I see on social media. So, I was gonna say, I don't know what goes on in your household, but elsewhere, people actually enjoy this holiday and so we've enlisted some help because, you know, Brad and I can mix up a decent cocktail here and there we know the classics but we don't get super creative yet. I don't know.

0:53 I don't trust myself to Branch out a lot yet. Brad and so we have Enlisted, the help of Fitz Bailey who is the global Brand ambassador for Cooper's craft, I've been following fits on Instagram for a couple years now. He just a fantastic content producer, first of all, but the drinks that he is consistently thinking up and making up and displaying on social media. I've always wanted to try them and we're finally going to get the chance today. Fits, how are you today? Bob, I have to say that is absolutely the best intro I've ever received. I thank you so much. Well, thank you. I'm I'm doing spectacular. I hope you all are doing the same. We are now because I have tried one of these three cocktails that you've given us, and I think Brad has tried a different one.

1:41 So we've hit two of the three. The third one is very, very decadent. It is a definite dessert cocktail. I've just finished dinner. So I'm ready for that one, too. We're going to dive into the cocktails here in just a minute. But before we get there Fitz, I'd love for you to just give us a little bit of background. We've had a few brand ambassadors on the show before And one of the things I really love about talking to Brand ambassadors, is the backgrounds? Y'all come from are just so vastly different, you know? Not a lot of you like came up through the ranks in the spirits industry, a lot of people, and we just had one on the show a few months ago, that was in a band for a long time. And so kind of like learned the world of PR through doing music. So I'd love to hear your background your history. How you got into Cooper's craft and to where you are today? Oh, absolutely.

2:29 Solutely. I mean, you are absolutely correct, though. Every brand ambassador has a different story, you know, when I was in college, I did a little bartending, but this is back during the Vodka Wars, you know, my palate was definitely not what it is. Now, I was ordering top-shelf cake vodka. I thought I was the coolest person on the planet and the drinks. I were making were like, you know, vodka crayons maybe a dash of pineapple. Nothing big. But when I got out of college, I started working. On there's this thing called the Jack Daniel's experience. And it's this 55 foot trailer that just travels around the u.s. and they bring a mobile Distillery to these music festivals, motorcycle, rallies, and NASCAR races. Hmm.

3:18 And I basically would be on this truck and I would tell people the story of Jack and it was just it was a really great experience. I got to meet so many different. Folks from all walks of life. And from that I ended up working with Zac Brown and I was on tour with them, for two years, with Jack Daniels, they had for several years, something called the Jack and Zach and they would do a Eat & Greet and you would basically by these special tickets and before the show you, and I think 100-150 other folks would eat a home-cooked meal with Zach and the brand. And we managed to Jack Daniels in all the all the food you got to enjoy.

4:05 So I was basically a road dog for two years. It was it was really, really fun, but I want to do a little bit more. So I ended up moving to Dallas to put on like Jack events, whiskey festivals, all that good stuff. And then Cooper's had this opening, and when I find myself in Louisville, I work in 26 States. All across the u.s. talking with nice folks, about Bourbon and education, man. That is so cool and the connection here, you know, for those who may not know between Jack Daniels and Cooper's graph is that they're both brands in the portfolio of brown-forman. And we listen, we get along quite well with brown-forman on this podcast, we've had Jackie's, I can from old Forester on here. A number of times, we've had the master distillers of Woodford on here a number of times and I got to say, man, every time you guys Supply us with some product to it's like I get giddy, it's like a kid on Christmas and I I think that, if I'm being honest, if there is a slept on brand in the portfolio, it's Cooper's craft, like it's widely available.

5:09 I always see it at the liquor store. It's so affordably priced and Bob, it's freaking amazing. It's so good. Such a girl, just phenomenal whiskey. And here's the thing, when we were like, pricing out whiskies in the early Seasons when we were just like self-funding. Everything we couldn't afford much, I was like, Cooper's craft. That's right up. Our alley. And we tried like the Baseline offering and the hundred proof and I have to say if if you're thinking of value in the world of bourbon, the hundred proof Cooper's craft might be one of the best values we've ever had on the show. Brad. Yeah, we, you know, always give scores for value at the end of every Whiskey Review, Cooper's craft is a 10 out of 10. They're hundred proof is a, it's easily a knock out of the park. And man, it's so cheap.

5:59 And I don't mean that in a bad way at all. It is Affordable. It's delicious Fitz. You don't have to do much selling here. We're going to do it for ya well and I'm sure I'm sure you guys know we we borrowed the master distiller from Woodford, Chris Morris to make Cooper's. Yeah and his vision for that Barrel Reserve was you should have a quality bourbon for when your friends come over, that doesn't break the bank. I mean, don't get me wrong, there are some wonderful, wonderful products out there that are That are in that hundred plus category, but you know, if Linda from down the streets coming in for a second she doesn't need a sip of that but make a cocktail with this. You've got something that's enjoyable. That doesn't break the bank.

6:45 So this Barrel reserve, the hundred proof that we're trying. It's one of my favorite just everyday drinkers because it absolutely stands up neat. I'm actually sipping it neat right now as we talk. But man, it just makes such a great cocktail and I don't know about you. But Add and fits, but I love making cocktails with, you know, overproof Spirits. I just like a little bit more bite. I don't like the dilutions sometimes and so to have 100 Proof bourbon, I think really makes just a perfect cocktail almost every time and so Fitz, you're going to walk us through three cocktails here and you know, we can get into the first one if you'd like but I'd love to just hear your thoughts on this hundred proof bourbon in general. Like what are you know, what do you love about the the flavor of it?

7:29 And also How it stands up in a cocktail. So with that Barrel Reserve, it's just having that hundred proof. Really allows you to do so much more because you have several schools of thought when it comes to cocktails, but I agree. I want to taste some of that bourbon in there. I'm not adding a pineapple juice and Campari to mask the flavor bourbon. I want to, you know, bring out other characteristics and make a complete package. So for me, I think having that hundred proof gives you a little more flexibility because you can work with some of those stronger flavors like you'll see in a boulevardier which you know, you have that sweet vermouth and Campari in there. And that's that's a lot of really powerful flavors happening but when you have that high proof it's able to stand out and really shine.

8:18 Well if it's as you know we are we are talking about these cocktails for Valentine's Day. We've established your credentials as to why you are the perfect man to mix the spirit for us, but Let's Get Your Love credentials on onboard as well. Like, what makes you the person to bring on and tell people about how to drink on the most important day of Love of the year? Did you hold on one sec? Did you just say love credentials? Yes, I did. Bob, that's a new requirement for every guest. I've Loved often, I loved. Well, I've had my heart broken a couple times, but you know, Doing pretty steady these days.

9:01 I'd say I've been a pretty fantastic relationship if I don't say so myself. But I always think you should have a cocktail to celebrate the moment. So Valentine's Day you should have something that kind of works with the flavors of Valentine's Day. When you think of that, you have your chocolate, you have your rose, which is why I have this delicious, a rose grows in, Kentucky directly all. Yeah, that is the one that I'm drinking tonight and I have to to say it is a phenomenal, Twist on a pretty classic drink. I do love a New York's our and you might have got that from looking at the recipe. The saddest saddest I've ever been was in New York asking someone to make me a New York's our and then not knowing what that was. It just broke my heart.

9:52 I feel like that should be a requirement just like love credentials should be required men, but exactly. Exactly. All right fits, let's build this cocktail. Loud. So like you said, it's a variation on a New York's our the whiskey sour is just absolutely one of our favorite cocktails. I mean if it ain't broke, don't fix it and it's just like I make myself a whiskey sour I'd say, once every two weeks probably just always hits the spot and one of our favorite variations on that is to put a little red wine float on top and that's called a New York's. Our but fits you've taken a pretty unique twist here and I think you've hinted at it with the title, A Rose grows in Kentucky. So what's different about this one than a And ered New York's our so usually when you're making a New York's our you want a really strong fruity wine, I like malbecs for myself. I just love how that the golden color of the whiskey, sour with that?

10:46 Deep dark red on top looks. But with this, we are taking out that Malbec and putting in some Rose a, hmm? And I do like to use an egg white. I don't know about you guys, not everyone's comfortable with having a Egg white in their cocktail, but I just really love the mouth feel. It gives to your drink and there's just a bit of lightness that it adds to the cocktail. Ya know, I, we are 100% with you on that. If you have shied away from adding the egg white into your sours, whether it's because of fear of salmonella or just a nervousness about, you know, how do I add this to the drink? It makes your drink silky smooth and totally A worth the effort to put in to do it. And you know now you can get those pasteurized egg whites. So there really isn't that concern of salmonella. So absolutely, if you're comfortable with it, you should absolutely play around with it.

11:42 All right. So why don't we walk through the recipe itself? For those following along at home, Fitz, you are the mixologist here. I'll let you walk us through the recipe and the build here. All right, so you're going to need to grab a bottle of Cooper's craft Barrel reserve, a little bit of simple syrup some lemon juice fresh if you can manage. Inch that egg white and a little Rose egg and we're going to take our egg whites and we are going to add them to a Shaker and we were just going to shake the heck out of these things. When you're shaking these egg whites, you're causing the proteins, in them to break down and that's what's going to give it that nice frothy head. So just give it a really hard, shake about 60 seconds. Should be good, and if you don't like shaking, I'll tell you a little hack.

12:27 I use a little lot, a foamer. Hmm. Like A little milk foamer and I will just use that and it will do everything you need without having to sprain your wrist for shaking. Now, I added him really that is super brilliant actually, and it inspires questions in me now, but I have to ask you. So, I am not vegan. I use the egg white all the time. I know that people like to use aquafaba in place of egg whites, I've never tried it. And to be honest with you, like it just doesn't sound super appealing to me, but I'm sure you've mixed with it before. Can you notice a difference in flavor? When you Is aquafaba as opposed to an egg white. So the big thing when using aquafaba is you're going to have to shake it a little bit longer.

13:09 The nice thing about it is with egg whites. Sometimes if the drink warms up a little bit, you can get some of those sulfur smells which are not great, right? That's rare but you really don't have that at all with the aquafaba and I don't know if you've ever had a friend who's brought you like a vegan cheesecake or something and said oh it's so. Oh good. You can't tell it's vegan. It's kind of like that. I hate saying it like that, but you wouldn't know, unless someone went out of their way to be like, oh, there's no egg whites in this, we use aquafaba dnesday. Yeah, well. And you know, I don't think we've ever actually talked about aquafaba on the show Brad but they call it aquafaba because calling it chickpea juice sounds a little doesn't sound quite as appealing, but it's literally like if you open a can of chickpeas, the water that they pack the These in is aquafaba, just strain it out, and you can use it. I think it has good.

14:05 I think you just prevented anyone from ever using aquafaba in a mixed drink, this? Alright, my thought process was like, oh, if anyone is on the fence, about egg white, we'll just tell them that they could use chickpea runoff instead, and then they'll be like, nah, I'm good. I'll use the egg white that. Yeah, that's a good idea. Just some Bean Juice. That's all it is. Absolutely. So we're going to put the the full recipes and exact amounts and picture. Sirs links to pictures of these cocktails in our show notes today. So if you don't catch them, the first time, we go through, they will all be in the show notes. I have to ask fits before we move on from this one. A lot of rows a that you pick up at the grocery store, especially on the, more inexpensive side is sparkling rose, a, I just need to make sure like a reusing a sparkling here.

14:47 We're using a flat. Just a flat. Yes. Got it. Let's save the sparkling for for later. What it is always something to toast. Yeah absolutely. Alright let's move into the second cocktail. Because this is another take on a really classic whiskey cocktail, the boulevardier, and we have not done the boulevardier on our how-to cocktail episodes yet, because we haven't really gotten into the category of a Mari. So you may have heard of an Amaro before. There's very, very famous ones out there that you can find in any liquor store like Campari or a parole. It's a category of very bitter Liquors that really help round out the flavor of a lot of cocktails and the boulevardier is probably the most famous one that utilizes whiskey and Fitz has just an absolutely delicious take on the boulevardier for us today for Valentine's Day.

15:41 Thanks, this is pretty fantastic. If you have not looked up the boulevardier, you're in for a treat because the history is just super rich for this. Drink came out of the probation bar in Paris called Harry's, New York Bar. It still stands to this day, so y'all should definitely check it out. But with this, this, we're going to go ahead and take some of that excess Valentine's Day chocolate and just melt it down. And we're going to rim some nice rocks, glasses with that. And as we are rolling, these glasses in this nice, warm chocolate. We're going to take the glass. And before that chocolate hardens, we're going to roll it in some powdered graham cracker because we are trying to channel s'mores for this. Salty s'mores boulevardier.

16:26 So once we've got that all done, we're going to grab our shaker. We're going to put in our Cooper's Barrel, Reserve, 1.5 ounces and then one ounce of Campari and an ounce of sweet vermouth. Then half an ounce of creme de cacao three dashes of chocolate Bitters and just the tiniest pinch of sea salt. Add a little ice, stir that all up, so it's nice and frothy. And then what we're going to do is grab a couple marshmallows light These bad boys on fire and we're going to cover that with our rocks, glass that has the melted chocolate and the graham cracker on it. So it captures the smoke from these burning marshmallows once we got that in there. Flip the glass around poor cocktail in and enjoy. And I did my friend because this thing is so good. And I have to say, like, you know, we made two of them. One for my wife, one for me, and we did one with the garnish and one without and sometimes I feel like With with cocktails like this that are very, very decadent that they people can try to distract you with the garnish, but I really do feel like the garnish adds a different layer to this cocktail that graham cracker flavor and just a little bit of texture there that you don't get without the garnish. But the drink absolutely stands up on its own to with or without the garnish.

17:48 I was going to say Bob, I think that really a lot of garnishes when they're just set on top of a drink. Usually that's Just for looks, but I feel like, you know, Tequila shouldn't have the, the, the corner on the market when it comes to rimming glasses because when you Rim things like you literally have to drink through it. And I think that's the beauty of this drink. As you get a large part of that s'mores experience through the rim. I mean, if it's you can tell me if I'm wrong but that seems to be the case here. No, that was absolutely the plan with this. I actually really like when I make this drink for For the first time I only Rim one side. So they get to experience it both ways. And it is a noticeable difference having that whiskey flow over the chocolate.

18:36 Yeah, fits. And as I'm as I'm sitting here thinking about, like all the thought that goes into this, I'm just curious, like for the average consumer who's out there and it's like yeah I can make a whiskey sour, I can make a gold rush. I can I can do things that are basic but I want to Branch out and And make up my own drinks. So that you know when I entertain friends I can come up with a name and come up with a drink on my own like what's your process like you are the expert upon experts here at just making up new crap in the whiskey world. So like what's your process for thinking of a new drink? Do you start with like a flavor in mind, you start with a another whiskey drink and think about how you can twist it.

19:21 Like, where are you at? When you're thinking, when you're feeling creative and just saying yourself, Let's make something new. So, it's funny. The first thing I actually start with is I look at the calendar. I, I used to in college, I had a professor who would send out all of those weird national holidays, like, oh, today's national Pete's today. And, you know, so forth to tomorrow is official apple picking day and I look at the calendar and try to find some of the holidays that are just Kind of weird like that coming up. And if I see one that just sort of spark something I tried to build a drink around that.

20:04 So, for example, like last fall for National cheese day, I did a cocktail inspired by a cheese board, the last Breeze of Summer, bertino. You've got me. I'm in, let's let's do it. It's pretty fantastic. It was this is also the barrel Reserve orange. Simple syrup. Fig preserves apple cider. And then we're gets weird a little dash of balsamic vinegar. And then a bit of sparkling water just to sort of balance it all out. Fitz. I need you to email me that because that sounds. I'm on the tube as you said, but balsamic vinegar. I was like, oh, I'm in this sounds weird, and under second, it's really tasty. And I'll tell you what, when I'm making these drinks, I try really hard to make drinks that you could make it home. You know, again, there's balsamic vinegar in it, but that is something you should be able to grab when I do simple. Syrups like, I use an orange juice. Simple syrup, in that that's not too difficult to make. Most, folks can take a cup of sugar and a cup of orange juice and simmer that together.

21:11 So, I really want to make these cocktails approachable for anyone. I don't know, man. That that sounds pretty difficult. I don't know if filming whiskey Nation can handle that. I'll send you the info for that. You let me know, maybe, Then I can make one for you. I appreciate that. Well, fits before we get into this last cocktail, you have for us today. You are a guest on the film and whiskey podcast and we have not. This is a brad, I think this is the first time we've ever sprung, this on a guest Midstream here, completely unaware. Completely unaware, they're welcome Fitz. Fitz. We'd like to hear. If you would reveal to our listeners, what's your favorite movie and why? Oh, no question favorite.

21:56 Movie of all time is 1993, Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park. Hey, let's go, man. That is so my family and I, we watch that movie every year for Thanksgiving, it does not get old because they use those animatronics. A lot of it still holds up to this day, those Raptors are terrifying and the score for that movie. I mean, that's kind of up there in Jaws almost. That's course, just so fantastic. Oh yeah. Yeah. You know, I was, I've been watching the Winter Olympics a little bit and they keep playing this commercial where I don't know. It's like skiers are interacting with dinosaurs from Jurassic Park and its side first. I don't understand the premise of this commercial but the dinosaurs look terrible.

22:42 And I feel like we're 30 years on from the first Jurassic Park and they are just not getting the memo that the reason the dinosaurs hold up. So well is because Spielberg used the CGI sow sparingly and then You know, the the T-Rex Paddock scene is like one of the best horror set pieces I've ever seen. And again, the reason at the CGI looks so good is because they put a layer of rain in front of it. You can hardly see the thing and because of that like your mind is filling in the gaps and I think that like it is such a feat of action filmmaking and the the effects hold up better. 30 years later than, you know, Jurassic world did. And that movie is only 10 years old, the Jurassic World. You know, that was really a love letter but that original, I mean, how can you beat it?

23:33 The thing about Jurassic Park is that it's a perfect movie. Like I don't really know how else to talk about it. I've told Brad before, it might be my favorite movie of all time, and I've actually been like, hanging onto it. We haven't done it on the podcast yet because I want to, I want to build to something in our later Seasons, but fits you have an open invitation, if you'd like to join us when we do the Jurassic Park episode, like the seat is open, my friend. I have been debating on doing a John Hammond costume. Umm for years now. So if you let me know, I will I will die my beard white and find find an Amber encased mosquito.

24:13 You have to say spared no, expense, like six times in the episode. Maybe that's the cocktail named I'll come up with for it. Oh my gosh. Oh, I don't want to know what's going into that. Cocks are no expense or life, finds a way. We've got a couple good ones in there. Yeah, for sure there's a lot of good cocktail names. I was going to say, The the only requirement for you to come back on the podcast would be dinosaur-themed, mixed drinks. Mmm. So if we if he does John Hammond I'm going to do shirtless Goldblum that's going to be my look I will make a cocktail called the shirtless Goldblum to. Yeah and I'll do the young child that just keeps bothering what's-his-face the whole movie Alright we are we are way off track here.

24:57 Talking about shirtless Goldblum and everything else is so fits. Let's get back to Valentine's Day. Yes well you have one more cocktail for us today and man. Oh man this thing is fantastic looking and this is again, this is like your after dinner. Go all in on the decadent dessert cocktail. Can you reveal to us what it is? So this is the Frozen boar bourbon s'mores cocktail. Josh, I am I'm a huge desert fan and this you're absolutely right. This is very, very rich. I would not recommend drinking more than one of these for this one. You're also you're going to do some more rimming, we're going to get our glass and put some marshmallow fluff on there, some more of those graham crackers.

25:42 And then for this recipe, we need a couple of marshmallows. Probably to is good, 3 tablespoons of marshmallow fluff just have some extra Crackers on the side. She never know when you're going to need them half a cup of dark, chocolate cocoa powder, fourth cup of milk and you could really use whatever milk you want. I like to use whole milk because if I'm going to be bad I want to be bad all the way they got them. Feel free to use, you know, oh look silk whatever you want. And then we're going to using a two shots of Cooper's craft Barrel Reserve, if there's a quote from this episode, it's if I'm going to be bad, I'm going to be bad all the way just discussing whole milk.

26:30 That's right, that's right. That's how you know you've reached Peak adulthood is like with when the the worst most bad thing that you can do is like, I'm drinking whole milk, not 2%. I'm gonna be bad tonight and dip. My chocolate chip, cookies, and whole milk, and not 2%. They never saw it coming. All right, fits before we let you go today. You know, we're making these cocktails For Valentine's Day. I am going to try to Cozy up and watch a good movie. After my Valentines Day meal and cocktail, is there a Valentine's movie? That is going on at your house? Hold on Valentine's Day. So I have to confess when it comes to ridiculous, rom-coms like the crazier, the better. So the one that kind of has a soft spot in my heart is Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, with just for gardener ER, and Matthew McConaughey.

27:26 Oh yeah, this and that is ridiculous. Oh, this is not top quality acting but it is such a fun movie. It's it's, it's just kind of its cheeky. It's goofy. I do like the Ebenezer Scrooge kind of story of it and just some light music. That's a great one Brad. And I actually just finished watching, it's not a romantic comedy, but we just finished watching the movie About Time For an upcoming episode and that is like, man. It's a romantic movie that I feel like is just totally under seen and I just love it when you return to familiar movies like this. I know a lot of people love revisiting The Notebook every year. Brad, and I are always touting When Harry Met Sally, it's like it's a uncoiled classic and there's a reason that yeah I was about to bring that up. Bob When Harry Met Sally dude everybody needs to see it. I don't know if I've ever had a greater success rate in recommending, a movie to people than When Harry Met Sally it's just like it hits.

28:24 It checks every box. Everyone is always satisfied walking away from that movie. So, you know, let's let's we'll start with some girls Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. If you guys are feeling up to a second movie throw on When Harry Met Sally, it's a perfect night for it and maybe don't feel scared to switch the order around. I think Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, will be better after you have these cocktails. There it is. I like a guy that that's honest about his movie recommendations. That's, that's a refreshing. Take right there and and honestly, there's no problem with that. There are some movies that are better with a group of good friends and a few drinks in your belly.

29:07 Well fits Bailey, we are just so grateful that you came on the podcast today. We've been trying to get Cooper's back on the podcast. I think we tried it Brad in like season one. We're in season five now. Yeah, I'm just in a while. I need to find a way to get you guys back on here. And so this was just a serendipitous man. We are so happy to try these Valentine's cocktails. I cannot recommend this Barrel Reserve highly enough. It is like one of the best $30 you can spend in the world of whiskey. And Fitz is just one of the best guys we can talk to in the world of whiskey. I do. Hope you'll join us again for that Jurassic Park episode, you know, in season to be determined but fits, thank you again for coming on the show today, guys. Thank you so much for having me.

29:50 It was an absolute pleasure and I just really appreciate y'all thinking of us. Thank you will be back on Monday with another regularly scheduled episode but until then I'm Bob book, I'm Brad G and we'll see you next time.