Bourbon Streak.

I’m currently enjoying a lovely Maker’s Mark & Coke, and it truly is one of the special and fulfilling aspects of my drinking life. Whisky and Bourbon are to many drinks of the old or sauces that are reserved for the hard drinkers and future bums of the world.

While all of that may certainly be true, there is nothing I find as smooth and calming and adaptable a liquor as this stuff. I’m not a beer person for the most part, though a Guinness, Boddington, or Alagash White Ale hits the spot. I enjoy rum and some mixed drinks when the mood strikes, and red wine is one of the greatest things the world has ever known. Whisky/Bourbon is something altogether different. Though I enjoy many brands of these drinks there are only three ways to go in my humble option, no offense to Johnny Walker, Crown, Jim Beam, Jack Daniel’s, and the absolutely EVIL Wild Turkey 101. From most vital to least in the cosmic order:

1. The Best. Not that cheap, but the rare whisky (along with Jack Daniel’s) that is a great mixer, but unlike Jack (whose single barrel does the trick) it’s also a great sipping whisky as well. This is a very versatile drink. Rich, a unique taste, and ultra consistent. Seriously, if you haven’t had whisky, get a tall glass, fill it with about five ice cubes, fill it 1/4th of the way with Maker’s, and the rest with Coke. Stir it, and enjoy. From there, you adjust the mix to your own preference. For me, it’s 1/4th to 1/3rd of the glass devoted to whisky. For Steve Murphy, it’s 4/4ths of the glass.

2. The Best Sipping Whisky. Don’t use Woodford to mix with, but as a standalone whisky it is legendary. There’s also a really special vintage that runs $100 a pop, but that’s a bit much for the casual drinker. If you plan to Leave Las Vegas, I wholly recommend that as the glass hearse of choice.

3. Maker’s Jr. It’s a couple of bucks cheaper but has a taste similar enough to Maker’s Mark to make it lovely and enough of its own jazz to justify its existence.

And then there’s this:


OK, I have no idea what the fuck this is or why I’m even alive.

– Nick Nunziata didn’t start drinking until he was 27 and is making up for lost time.