Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/990824
june 2018 / the tasting panel / 75 "Jack Daniel was a unique guy. He, too, did things 'his way'—from his personal style to the square shape of his whiskey bottle," Tecosky explains. "Jack was known to be very charitable to his family, friends, and neighbors; he threw extraordinary parties, sponsored a local band, and is famous for saying about his beloved whiskey, 'Every day we make it, we'll make it the best we can.' "Life was similar in the world of Sinatra," Tecosky continues. "He also took care of many, many people, whether they knew it or not. He donated tons of time and money in his lifetime without taking any credit for it. He always threw a party and made wherever he was the place to be, but never before he put on his fedora—as he would say, 'Cock your hat: Angles are attitude.' Sinatra was a skinny, scrappy kid from Hoboken, New Jersey, and built an American dream—much like Jack Daniel down in Lynchburg, Tennessee. If the two of them were hanging out at the old Chasen's in Beverly Hills, sharing a drink of Jack Daniel's, I think they'd have a lot in common and truly appre- ciate each other." We stole some facetime with five of Tecosky's esteemed Sinatra Supper Club guests to get their impressions of Jack Daniel's as a superlative and a classic—and to find out which expres- sion they reach for first during their own time behind the bar. "American whiskey is having its day in the sun and that shines a light on what makes Jack Daniel's so special." NATALIE BOVIS Aka "The Liquid Muse"; Partner in OM Spirits; and creator of the New Mexico Cocktails & Culture festival Jack Black Book Appearance: Featured in Vol. II with her "Chile and Chocolate" cocktail made with Gentleman Jack On What Makes Jack Daniel 's a Classic: "There are few products and few brands that really stand out as uniquely American. Jack Daniel's ties into American pop culture by way of Frank Sinatra, as one example, but it also ties into feelings of nostalgia and a sense of place. The fact that the whiskey is branded as a 'Tennessee whiskey' really ties it to a region. That automatically brings up images of farmland and this sort of rural America that our country was really founded upon. That in itself just stirs up emo- tion—not only for Americans but, I think, for anyone who is an 'Americanophile' throughout the world." What She Drinking: "I'm a Manhattan drinker. Gentleman Jack is an incredible choice because it has richness and it also has mellowness. It plays beautifully with vermouth. My drink in Vol. II of Jack's Black Book is essentially a Gentleman Jack Manhattan where I use a little bit of OM Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Liqueur, Port, and locally made Santa Fe mole bitters. I like to take an elegant whiskey like Gentleman Jack and sort of deepen and embolden its flavors." Jack Daniel 's is Like . . . "the drumbeat in a rock song, because it's not subtle but it also blends itself into the whole. Without it, the song would not carry." OM Spirits Partner Natalie Bovis, who appeared in Jack's Black Book Vol. II, says Jack Daniel's Gentleman Jack is an "incredible" addition to her drink of choice: the Manhattan.