Tim Weigel kept sneaking bites of his kids' Smucker's Peanut Butter and Jelly Uncrustables from the fridge and after a while, he thought the flavor profile would make for a good cocktail. As the chief mixologist for the Hakkasan Group in Las Vegas, he had the perfect opportunity to carry out his vision when Searsucker revamped its lineup of Old Fashioned cocktails at Caesars Palace. Easily the sweetest of the four variations on the menu, the PB&J Old Fashioned uses peanut-infused Maker's Mark as the base. (Don’t worry, it’s easier than it sounds. All you have to do is let a handful of chopped peanuts sit inside a bottle of bourbon for a few days.) The sweetness of the spirit is elevated with the addition of fassionola (a syrup often used in tiki cocktails), muddled strawberry, and orange bitters enhanced with strawberry tincture. "If you bartend at home and you know how to muddle and double-strain, the cocktail is pretty easy to make," says Weigel. And the garnish? You guessed it: an Uncrustable with a slice of strawberry.
The Essentials
Peanut-Infused Bourbon
Fassionola Syrup
Strawberries
Ingredients
2
oz
Peanut-Infused Bourbon
1
Strawberries
Smucker’s Peanut Butter & Grape Jelly Uncrustable, for garnish
Strawberry slice, for garnish
Method
- Muddle the strawberry in a mixing glass.
- Add bourbon, fassionola, bitters and ice.
- Stir and double-strain over fresh ice in rocks glass.
- Garnish with a quarter of an Uncrustable and strawberry slice.
Ingredients
1
750 ml bottle
Bourbon
1
Cup
raw peanuts
Method
- Chop the peanuts for a minute in a food processor.
- Add peanuts to the Elijah Craig and allow to infuse for three days.
- Strain peanuts and bottle. Will keep for one year.
Ingredients
6
Strawberries
4
oz
Everclear
1
oz
Orange Bitters
Method
- Allow the strawberries to infuse with the Everclear for three days to create a tincture.
- Strain off the strawberries, and combine the strawberry tincture with the orange bitters.
- Pour into a bitters bottle.