Black-beery Bourbon

​Do you know what kind of cocktails are my favorite? Well, truthfully, I'll try almost anything, but cocktails that combine craft beer and bourbon are at the top of my list. But if you find a cocktail that doesn't just stop at beer and bourbon, but goes further with fresh fruit, herbs and raw sugar, you, my friend, have found yourself a winner. Thus, we give you the Black-beery Bourbon. 

We pride ourselves on not being the blog that drones on and on before you get to the recipe. Because let's be honest, that's what you're really here for. However, it's my duty to bring you the best of the best in cocktails so I will give you some advice on the beer department. Buy wheat beer for this cocktail. Better yet, buy local wheat beer for this cocktail. There are tons of great NC breweries that make much better wheat beer than Blue Moon or Shock Top, so buy those. My suggestion? I made these with Pisgah Brewing Company's Blueberry Wheat and it was abso[expletive]lutely delicious. But if you're not a fan of a blueberry wheat beer, here are a few other NC craft suggestions to pique your interest:

• Olde Hickory Hefe-Weizen
• New Sarum Hurley Park Blood Orange Wheat
• Mother Earth Weeping Willow Wit
• Lonerider Shotgun Betty

Ingredients:

• 2oz Boundary Street Bourbon
• 2oz wheat beer
• 1/4cup fresh blackberries
• 1/2 lemon, juice only
• 6 mint leaves
• 2tsp raw sugar

Directions:
Muddle blackberries, lemon juice, mint, and raw sugar in a glass. Add crushed ice, stir in bourbon. Top with wheat beer. Garnish with a skewer of blackberries and a mint sprig, just a mint spring, or nothing at all. Whatever floats your boat.


P.S. feel free to sub the raw sugar with 1/2oz-3/4oz simple syrup or demerara syrup.