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{ SOMMjournal.com } 1 17 and make your mark," he says. "Organize bourbons by grain—wheated bourbons, rye bourbons and so on. In putting together flights, organize bourbons by grain styles and their flavor profiles to take the experienced drinker from famil - iar to less familiar brands. For example, I use Buffalo Trace as a bellwether, and then bring in less familiar distilleries. As smaller companies don't yet have name recognition, it is your responsibility to promote a brand you want to get behind. When the customer is up for getting out of his comfort zone, it is your job to ask, 'Have you tried Johnny Drum?' or 'Have you tried High West yet?'" In order to keep up with increasingly sophisticated customers, Chea Beckley, Bar Manager at Louisville's Proof at 21C, emphasizes the importance of sending his staff to numerous seminars and stay - ing on top of new spirit launches. "No matter how much you know about bour- bon, we will get you to where you want to be," says Beckley. "We stick to 94 to 100 proof, which allows the soul of individual spirits to shoot through our cocktails. We organize flights that span across a given distillery, or pick ten-year-olds from dif - ferent distilleries, or span across aging statements to see what wood does to the flavor of something ." Back to Their Roots Independent distilleries expanding the Kentucky spirits vocabulary beyond bour- bon include Thoroughbred Spirits Group, whose portfolio includes vodka, rum and gin as well as whiskey, and Limestone Branch Distillery, which specializes in sugar-based moonshine. Copper & Kings, which specializes in brandy in the heart of Bourbon Country, is a superb example of how much further Kentucky's spirits industry can go the hands of innovators not afraid. "Many people think there is a ritual involved with serving and drinking brandy, but there's not," says Assistant Distiller Alan Bishop. "Through working extensively with local mixologists, and keeping on our company's rock-and-roll theme, we have three categories of reci - pes: 'Classics' (i.e., Manhattans, Brandy Alexanders); 'Covers,' in which we substi- tute original spirit such as rum or tequila with the different kinds of brandy we produce; and 'Indies,' cocktails for which bartenders from around Louisville put together their unique visions with our various spirits." All in all, current developments point to the fact that Kentucky spirits are not just a part of U.S. history—they're continu - ing to make it. KENTUCKY MAID Sidebar on Whiskey Row, Louisville 2 oz. Buffalo Trace Bourbon 3 /4 oz. fresh lime juice 3 /4 oz. simple syrup 2 muddled English cucumbers 6 mint leaves Shake everything with ice and double strain over ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint in a cucumber slice. GOLD RUSH Sidebar on Whiskey Row, Louisville 2 oz. Makers Mark 3 /4 oz. fresh lemon Juice 3 /4 oz. honey syrup Shake with ice and serve up in a coupe glass. For more Kentucky cocktails, go to www.sommjournal.com. PHOTO: ELYSE GLICKMAN PHOTO: ELYSE GLICKMAN OFF TO THE RACES! Best-bet recipes from Kentucky's cocktail innovators. The Kentucky Maid (left) and Gold Rush, both from Sidebar on Louisville's Whiskey Row. PHOTO COURTESY OF SIDEBAR ON WHISKEY ROW Chea Beckley, Bar Manager at Louisville's Proof at 21C emphasizes education. Distiller Alan Bishop, (left) and Master Distiller Brandon O'Daniel at Copper & Kings, a brandy distillery in bourbon country.