Buy a few extra bottles of bourbon when you snag the one you’ll bury* before your big day. This summertime cocktail from The Imbible author and Alley Light bar manager Micah LeMon practically sings “Virginia wedding” from the first sip, making it an ideal signature cocktail for your reception.
Says LeMon, “If you’re having a wedding in Charlottesville in the summertime, it would be a shame not to use fresh peaches. And if you’re getting married in general, you’re committed to a certain degree of impractical idealism and hard work. Nothing would be more evocative of these themes than featuring an egg white cocktail with fresh, local fruit picked in season—one that has to be muddled, built, dry shaken and wet shaken individually. If you’re not a fan of the hard work, don’t get married; if you’re willing to roll your sleeves up, you’ll be surprised that the hard work is worth it.”
Here’s how to do it right.
*FYI: It’s Southern tradition to bury a bottle of bourbon to ensure good weather on your wedding day. Bury it exactly one year out, or on a day with weather you wouldn’t mind having. After you say “I do,” dig it up and enjoy.
Bourbon Peach
Serves one
2 oz. Buffalo Trace Bourbon
1/2 oz. lemon
1/2 oz. egg whites
1/4 cup peaches, macerated
Angostura bitters (garnish)
Rinse peaches and quarter them, taking out the stones. Measure quartered peaches and toss
with sugar. Calculate the amount of sugar to use by multiplying the amount of peaches by half; e.g. if you have 8 cups of quartered peaches, toss with 4 cups of sugar. Let the peaches macerate for at least an hour and try to use them within a day. Muddle peaches in a shaker, then build
the cocktail in the shaker, too. Dry shake then wet shake. Decorate with bitters.
