Cal Ripken Jr. was known as "The Iron Man" in baseball. He played 2,632 straight games of baseball, almost two full seasons more than Lou Gehrig. It is a record that would take just over sixteen seasons to break, unless there was a considerable amount of post season play. Ripken Jr. did not just play as an average joe; he was one of the best shortstops and third basemen to play the game. The streak was not always kept alive through playing complete games. He played injured. He played a few innings, then was benched. Once the streak became its own entity, it was maintained in a variety of ways.
Thirty days was a big deal for this project. Day thirty one involved a thirteen hour drive to northern Florida. There was not much to make a cocktail with that night; just what we had brought with us and a few odds and ends around the house. After some fast thinking and the desire to have a cocktail at the end of the day, I found the Kentucky Coffee recipe. It is clearly a riff on the Irish Coffee, using bourbon instead of Irish whiskey. Fortunately the whip cream was optional.
A little bit of Kentucky in the great state of Florida.
Kentucky Coffee
1.5 oz./ 45 mL bourbon
.25 oz./ 8 mL simple syrup (or sugar to taste)
4-5 oz./ 120 - 150 mL hot coffee
Glass: Mug
Garnish: Whip Cream (optional)
Ice: None
Build the ingredients in a coffee mug. Stir, then add whip cream.
It was perfect. At least, it was a great way to wind down after a long trip. The warmth allowed the caramel and vanilla notes in the bourbon to be more pronounced, to the point that it almost did not need the simple syrup. Sometimes after a busy day it is the simple things that work the best.