Raising Cane

Someone once sang that he got no kicks from champagne. We don’t know what that guy was talking about. Here at Holeman & Finch Public House, we get a lot of kicks from champagne, and we share them with you.

In his desire to craft a cocktail that could pay homage to both the classic Champagne Cocktail, and the foodways of the South, Greg Best was visited by three spirits; namely, Wathen’s Kentucky Bourbon, Regan’s #6 Orange Bitters and Jacques Pelvas Brut.   From this trinity, we have the genesis of a fine drink.  And Best saw that it was good and he named it Copper & Cane.  The title refers to the copper-pot stills used to distill the whiskey, and to the tall canes of grass which when pressed provide us sorghum syrup (otherwise known as the sweet nectar of the southern gods).  

Great care and creativity go into every cocktail we make.  This starts with each ingredient.  There’s a lineage of respect, dedication, patience and preservation behind every bottle from which we pour.  Wathen’s Single Barrel Bourbon is produced by Charles Wathen Medley, from a recipe that’s been passed down through eight generations of Wathen and Medley family members. That’s 250 years of distilling expertise—and you can taste it in every drop.  Before Wathen’s arrives at our bar, it has gone through an exhaustive process that includes selecting and milling only the finest grains, and the addition of the Medley family yeast to spur the fermentation process. All ingredients are added to the spring water filtered through Kentucky limestone before undergoing the 100% copper doubling. Add to this elixir a little fresh lemon juice, wicked orange bitters, a dash of sorghum syrup, a spot of brut and a pinch of freshly shaved nutmeg, and you’ve got the ultimate holiday sip-fest. The Copper & Cane represents a fine mix of regional wonders and cosmopolitan tradition, makes for good company before a meal and will warm up any cold fall or winter’s night.

“I need more whiskey in my whiskey.” The memorable line from the Felice Brothers tune, is a lyric we can definitely get behind, but sometimes its fun to put champagne in your whiskey.  Stop by the Public House tonight to experience a champagne whiskey cocktail at its finest.  Those of you who would rather to play along at home can make a stop at H&F Bottle Shop to pick up a Copper & Cane cocktail kit—it has everything you need to make this potent potable.