How to Be a Bourbon Badass

March 26, 2018
This first book by Ruffenach, founder of Whisky Chicks, a group that organizes bourbon tastings and other whiskey-related events in and around Louisville, Ky., is a random collection of cocktail and food recipes, bourbon evaluations, autobiographical tidbits, and tasting tips. There is plenty of useful information to sort through, including detailed suggestions of which brands of bourbon to buy for novice, enthusiast, and connoisseur levels of appreciation. Ruffenach includes handy graphics that concisely cover topics such as how bourbon is made and how to read a bourbon label. Cocktail offerings include classics like a Manhattan and an old-fashioned, as well as fruitier options such as a peach vanilla highball and a blood orange bourbon mimosa. A profile of a chocolatier who makes bourbon truffles unfortunately fails to include any information on how to do so at home; those with a sweet tooth will content themselves with recipes for chocolate bourbon pecan pie and bourbon banana cake. Fans of the savory, meanwhile, can indulge in bourbon mushrooms with caramelized onion polenta bites. Ruffenach briefly profiles fellow enthusiasts and bourbon producers such as bourbon-maker Caleb Kilburn from Kentucky Peerless Distilling and Jane Thomas Bowie, Maker’s Mark’s head of innovation. The book is not as “badass” as the title suggests, but it is an informative introduction for novice bourbon drinkers.