Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

With a ‘Kentucky Affogato,’ Derby Day Has Never Been So Sweet

Woodford Reserve

The Kentucky Derby may be known as the most exciting two minutes in sports, but for attendees it’s a never-ending party measured in mint julep highball glasses. The drink, comprised of mint, bourbon, and simple syrup, is so ubiquitous at the event that it’s almost a cliché, which leaves the field wide-open for creative alternatives to an old standard. So on Saturday, let us suggest a sweeter alternative: the Kentucky Affogato.

Related Guides

For this one, Woodford Reserve Brand Ambassador and Brooklyn resident Michael Toscano harks back to his days as the head bartender for the West Village’s Dante, an Italian aperitif restaurant, for which he concocted an early iteration. “It’s starting to get warm, everybody’s outside, and who doesn’t like a good ice cream float?” he tells The Manual.

To call the Kentucky Affogato a “cocktail” can only cause division, as its components could arguably classify it as a boozy dessert. Bourbon whiskey floats a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream, and over top, a warmed, mint-infused simple syrup melts the whole thing down into sweet, milky goodness. Garnished with more fresh mint, it’s as pleasant on the stomach as it is to the nose and eye.

The jury may still be out on how exactly to classify this drink, but the concoction is another delicious way to enjoy bourbon come Kentucky Derby. Like the race itself, it’s all about the horses, and when it comes to a seasonal drink, one can’t go wrong with bourbon whiskey.

The Kentucky Affogato

By Michael Toscano,

Woodford Reserve

Brand Ambassador

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz. bourbon whiskey
  • .5 oz. mint-infused simple syrup (see below)
  • 1 to 2 scoops vanilla bean ice cream
  • Fresh mint
  • Grated dark chocolate or nutmeg (optional)

Method: 

  1. Over a stovetop and with low heat, simmer simple syrup with fresh mint leaves to taste (Toscano recommends 10 stemless leaves for 10 minutes as a baseline)
  2. In a dessert bowl or special coupe glass, pour in bourbon
  3. Spoon out one or two healthy scoops of ice cream into the dish
  4. Drizzle mint-infused syrup over the ice cream, allowing partial melting
  5. Garnish with a sprig of mint, and grate nutmeg or dark chocolate if desired

What You Need to Know

Most people know the traditional affogato as an espresso drink and may be thrown for a loop when this recipe doesn’t include it. “Affogato means ‘drown’ in Italian,” says Toscano. “In the sense of this cocktail, the hot syrup is melting the ice cream into the whiskey.” The bite of the bourbon pairs well with the rich, milky sweetness of a quality vanilla bean ice cream. For those really looking to lean in to the traditional mint julep theme, simply simmer the syrup longer and with more mint. “The longer it simmers, the more flavor you’re going to pull out of it,” he says. Finally, when considering ways to punch up the drink/dish, consider toppings that offer bold scents, or aromatics. These include nutmeg: “It’s going to add; it doesn’t distract from the flavor,” he says.

Read more: History of The Mint Julep

Topics
Jon Gugala
Features Writer
Jon Gugala is a freelance writer and photographer based in Nashville, Tenn. A former gear editor for Outside Magazine, his…
The 11 Best Whiskies for Whiskey Sours This 2022, According to Bartenders
how to make a whiskey sour 2 cocktail  garrison brothers distillery texas straight bourbon

Every cocktail is more nuanced than just combining liquor with a sugary mix. This rings especially true for the whiskey sour, an elegant and sweet American cocktail classic. It contains a frothy egg white (though optional, it makes your whiskey sour creamier), a freshly squeezed citrus juice, and a dash of simple syrup.

However, selecting the right whiskey with the right dimension and balance transforms your whiskey sour from lackluster to delectable. Here’s our roundup of the best whiskies for whiskey sours this 2022, all carefully hand-picked by expert bartenders.

Read more
How To Make The Best Spiked Sweet Tea
how to make spiked sweet tea

As a concept, iced tea spans innumerable cultures and geographical regions, and an iced tea enthusiast in search of variety can easily find hundreds of different prep methods and flavor combinations to keep their options diverse, engaging, and international. When we’re talking about iced tea traditions in the United States, one particular variation often pushes itself to the forefront, largely thanks to the serious devotion it inspires throughout the South: “Sweet tea.” 

“In many places in the South, sweet tea is a religious experience,” insists cofounder Austin Sherman of Big Easy Bucha in New Orleans. This form of refreshment, found in Southern refrigerators and on countless restaurant menus, is neatly summed up by its name; the only strictly necessary ingredients for a sweet tea come in the form of iced tea (usually iced black tea) and sugar (either dissolved white sugar or a simple syrup). However, that basic formula is ripe for customization, and inventive sweet tea makers love to experiment with tea-to-sweetener ratios and additions like fruit, fresh herbs, and -- of course -- spirits. If sipping a sweet tea cocktail on a hot and humid summer afternoon sounds like a brilliant idea (and it does), then these spiked sweet tea tips will help you make the best possible version of this Southern staple.
Herbal teas offer new flavor dimensions to typical sweet tea. 
As mentioned above, sweet tea usually consists of black tea that’s sweetened during (or immediately after) the steeping process. But if you’re a fan of flavored or herbal teas and want to attempt a sweet tea rendition using your preferred brew as a base, then co-owner and bar director Elizabeth Turnbull of COPA in Durham, North Carolina urges you to go on ahead. She personally prefers to make her sweet tea with hibiscus tea, telling us that “I was born and raised in Haiti, and my husband was born and raised in Cuba. Throughout the Caribbean, it's common to enjoy a cold glass of hibiscus tea. The hibiscus flower is prevalent, and it has a light tartness that makes it extra refreshing.” When making a spiked sweet hibiscus tea, Turnbull sticks to her island inspiration by mixing the tea with simple syrup and pineapple rum. 
Instead of boiling water to make the tea, try steeping it in direct sunlight. 
In most cases, tea requires boiling water to draw the flavor out of the tea bags or loose leaves. However, mixologist John Wadell of Peerless Bourbon in Louisville, Kentucky points out that “the trick to a good Southern sweet tea is to leave [the tea and water] out in the sun rather than to boil the water. [This is] also known as ‘sun tea.’  Start out by adding your tea bags to a pitcher of water, [then] let it sit out [in the sun] for at least 4-5 hours, depending on how hot it is outside and how many bags you plan on adding for your flavor preference, I find it better to use a lot [of tea bags].”
In addition to sugar, sweet tea often includes fruit as a sweetener. 
Southern growing conditions yield impressive seasonal fruit harvests, and sweet tea serves as an ideal canvas for these flavors and natural sources of sweetness. When selecting fresh-grown fruits and herbs to include in his sweet tea, bartender Brandon Davidson of Pressroom in Bentonville, Arkansas chooses “stone fruits during the summer: peaches, apricots, nectarines.  For herbs, mint is always a nice addition to your iced tea, spiked or not.  We use a fruit liqueur in our tea, but you can also muddle fresh fruit to add to your drink or garnish with a fresh slice of peach or apricot.”

Read more
The 10 Best Whiskies For Boulevardiers
Boulevardiers

Looking to up your cocktail game during quarantine, but not sure where to start? Well, say you want bourbon (because yes, bourbon is as much a summer liquor as it is a fall or winter one), and you want something boozy (because quarantine). Well, we have just the thing for you.

One of the biggest cocktail fads of the last few years has got to be the rise of the Negroni. This classic Italian aperitif combines gin, Campari, sweet vermouth, and an orange slice, resulting in a refreshing and bittersweet libation ideal for warm afternoons and evenings.

Read more