Does anyone drink Bourbon and Seven anymore?
Smells are an interesting thing aren’t they? I am constantly surprised by how the scent of something can conjure memories of people and experiences that had been long forgotten. The scent of a fresh Christmas tree being decorated in the living room and the smell of a box of candy hearts when you open it on Valentine’s Day are two of my favorites. I love those moments. My favorite smell of all time is the scent created when you mix bourbon and Seven-Up over ice. Bourbon and seven was my dad’s drink. Every time I happen to smell one, he jumps right into my head.
As a kid who grew up in the 1960’s and 70’s my experience was not uncommon. Every night, my dad would come home and fix himself a drink. Bourbon and seven was usually that drink. (My mom would have a Screwdriver). I don’t remember him ever having more than one, but he did have that ONE every night. At some point in junior high I became old enough to make his drink for him. He asked me to make one, but never showed me how. (He was like that) As a result, I’m sure the end result of my creations were often much stronger than what he was used to. Maybe he liked that? This practice of a nightly drink ended for my dad, sometime around 1980. I’m sure it wasn’t a conscious decision to stop. It just seemed to fade away as something dads did when they got home. Maybe it was Ronald Reagan’s fault or the death of John Lennon? I doubt it though. My dad never gave more of a passing thought to either of them. I guess, it just went out of fashion like the large lapels on his sport coats.
I have never been much of a drinker of hard liquor. Whenever the situation presented itself for me to order a drink I have never ventured far beyond my dad’s tried and true. A few times while playing slots at a casino a waitress dressed in shiny gold would ask me what I wanted. It was free, so I had to ask for something and a bourbon and seven is all I really knew to ask for. Every time she returned with the glass and handed to me, I was shocked by the smell. How good it was. How pleasurable it was. It tasted good too, but it wasn’t the taste that floored me. It was the smell. It made me feel good. It made me think of people I loved and memories long lost. It made me think of my dad. It was nice.
In a sense, this “50 for 50” list is forcing me to do the same thing. It’s forcing me to think a lot about the past. My father certainly, but others as well- childhood friends, family members who are long since gone. Like the smell of a bourbon and seven, it’s been nice. I have been told many times that I tend to live my life too much in my head. This is true. It’s always been true. It’s caused some difficulty from time to time, but I have never apologized for it. I can’t help it. It’s just who I am and I like it that way. One advantage of being stuck in my head so much is I get to hang on to these thoughts and memories for a long time. I get to ponder them, play with them and enjoy them. How can that be a bad thing?
In the past year I have had a few bourbon and seven’s. One night I suggested that Michelle try one. She was hooked and we immediately had to upgrade the quality of bourbon. Now, she has challenged me with this list to broaden my taste a bit and come up with my own signature cocktail within the year. Doing this requires some experimentation and I have begun the work. Michelle’s mom got me a cocktail recipe book for Christmas and I have started to try some of them out. I have started simply, with a couple martini variations. They were ok, but nothing great. One thing is certain, we definitely prefer vodka over gin. I tried an Old Fashioned because that is what Don Draper drinks. It was good, but my skills have not developed to the needed level yet for that one. We tried a Brandy Alexander the other night and Michelle has asked for one a few more times. So far the best thing we have tried is a rather refreshing combination of vodka, ginger beer and lime called a Moscow Mule. It’s not something that will warm you up on a cold January night, but it would be fantastic on a hot July evening. I can’t wait to try one this summer. I am not yet in a position to make it my “signature drink”, but it’s currently leading the pack. The experimentation must continue. It’s always the quest that is more enjoyable than the completion isn’t it? Chemistry was never my strong suit, but I’m liking this take on scientific discovery.
Moscow Mule
1 3/4 oz. Vodka
½ Lime
Ginger Beer to top up
Poor the vodka into a highball glass filled with ice
Squeeze the lime, cut into for and drop into glass.
Top with ginger beer and stir.
What Came First, The Music or the Misery? 
Amaretto sour.
That is now at the top of the list. I gotta buy some Amaretto tomorrow. (i’m a poet)
Born at the very end of 1959, I warmly recall the fine scent of bourbon and seven just like you. I never really knew what it was at the time, but when I used to go out dancing on Friday and Saturday nights in my early 20s, I happened to land on it and it became my go-to drink. I do love me a nice Moscow Mule, mojito or lime margarita on the rocks but my current favorite is a White Russian. I’m not a big drinker at all, went entire decades with scarcely a few. Now and again though…I just may mix up a bourbon and seven right now. ; )