Recipe: Louisville Cooler

I can't remember which site I first got this drink from.  Here's Emeril's, which is a little different from what I made, but close enough.

(serves two, ideally)
4 oz. bourbon*
2 oz. orange juice
1 oz. lime juice (fresh squeezed--ALWAYS)
1 tbsp confectioner's sugar

Shake vigorously with ice and strain into two rocks glasses with clean ice.  Garnish with an orange and a maraschino cherry.  Sip outdoors in the springtime.

* Use a "midrange" bourbon here.  I like Evan Williams--it's cheap enough to mix, but also good enough to just drink straight.  (It's like the opposite of Jack Daniels.)

Recipe: Bourbon Wings!

Here are the Bourbon Wings, roughly as prepared on Wednesday's show.  The method for cooking the wings comes from Alton Brown, and the sauce is based on this one from the Food Network.

SAUCE
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 an onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup spicy brown mustard
3/4 cup peach preserves (I like the Simply Fruit kind)
1-2 tsp red pepper flake (or 1 tbsp hot sauce)
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons bourbon
salt & pepper

Saute the onion in the butter until it's translucent.  Add the garlic and cook until you smell garlic, not more than a minute.  Add the cider vinegar, stir to deglaze the pan (if necessary), and let it cook down to about 1/2 its volume.  Then add the mustard, preserves, RPF, and 1/3 cup of bourbon.  Cook until it's thick and glazy, about 10 minutes.  Let it cool for a few minutes and add the extra bourbon.  (This makes more than you need, which is great because it's good on just about anything.)

WINGS
30 chicken wing sections (I buy them frozen)
salt, pepper

Lay the wings out in a single layer in a metal colander.  Boil three inches of water in a large pot.  Put the colander over the rapidly boiling water and steam the wings for 10 minutes (or up to 15 if still mostly frozen).  Line a sheet pan with paper towels, put in a rack, and put the wings on the rack.  Let them rest for 15-20 minutes on the counter or an hour in the fridge.

Replace the paper towels with parchment.  Season the wings and put them in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Take them out and toss them a few at a time in your sauce, then return them to the rack.  Return the pan to the oven for 20 more minutes, or until the wings are nice and brown.

Serve with extra sauce and plenty of paper towels.