Feast Portland is fast upon us. (If you haven’t heard of it before, read all about it here.) Anyhoo, last year was the first time that I attended some of the speciality dinners and parties that go on around the food festival. And those are really cool. You get to mingle with chefs and tastemakers and really see what the latest trends in food and drink are.
I attended the Williams Sonoma Opening Party last year, and the first thing that I had to drink blew my mind. It was a grilled peach bourbon. They offered it in cocktail form, but it was so delicious, I drank it straight…a few times.
I’ve been dying to re-create this beverage, and I decided that Labor Day weekend was the perfect time.
To me, grilled peach bourbon is the perfect transitional drink. You have the peaches that are on their way out of season here in Oregon in September.
And to me, bourbon just feels like fall. My desire for white wine and sangria quickly turns to old fashioned’s and spiked cider drinks.
And let me just say, this is incredibly simple to make. It takes about five minutes to grill up the peaches, and then you only have to let the whole thing infuse over three days.
So if you’re checking this post out now, there’s still plenty of time to whip some up for your Labor Day weekend festivities!
Grilled Peach Bourbon 
Makes: 2 cups of peach-infused bourbon
What you need:
- 2 cups bourbon (I used Buffalo Trace)
- 2 peaches
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Brush peaches lightly with oil. Grill four to five minutes over medium high heat. I did this using a cast-iron grill pan on the stove.
- When charred to your liking, remove peaches from heat and let cool.
- Combine bourbon, peaches and maple syrup in an airtight container.
- Let sit undisturbed for three days, and then you’re ready!
*Note: If you want the drink to take on a smokier flavor, grill longer until almost fully blackened. For more peach, lightly grill.
So as I mentioned above, I think this tastes great served on the rocks, but I wanted to share few ideas on how to use it in a cocktail as well.
- Bourbon Peach Smash – use the grilled peach bourbon in place of regular bourbon, peaches and simple syrup.
- Sweet Peach Bourbon Lemonade
- Grilled Peach and Bourbon Arnold Palmer – use grilled peach bourbon in place of regular bourbon and peaches.
- Grilled Peach Whiskey Smash – add mint, lemon and club soda…yum!
What do you drink in fall? Share below!