If the Old Fashioned is bourbon’s most famous showcase, the Kentucky Colonel is its quietest cousin. Just two ingredients, bourbon and Bénédictine, stirred and served over ice, with a name straight out of the South’s favorite honorary title. Simple, spiced, and criminally underordered.
The Kentucky Colonel first appears in print in Jacques Straub’s 1914 Manual of Mixed Drinks, making it a near-contemporary of the Old Fashioned itself. The name borrows from the Kentucky Colonel, an honorary title the state has handed out since the 1800s to notable citizens, the same title Colonel Sanders held before it became shorthand for fried chicken.
The cocktail has none of that showmanship. It’s built on the idea that bourbon and Bénédictine, a honeyed, spiced French liqueur, need almost nothing else to make a complete drink.
A note on the ratio
This is a drink where the ratio does all the talking. Bénédictine is sweet and assertive, so a little goes further than you’d expect against two full ounces of bourbon. Push past a half ounce and it starts to taste more like a liqueur with bourbon in it, rather than the other way around. Stick close to the classic ratio and the honey and spice sit underneath the whiskey rather than on top of it.
Why Lush Life Loves It
The Kentucky Colonel is what the Old Fashioned would look like if it went to finishing school. No bitters, no sugar cube to muddle, just one well-chosen modifier doing the work that sugar and bitters usually split between them.
Variations Worth Trying
- Monte Carlo. Swap the bourbon for rye and you’ve got this close cousin, drier and spicier, with the Bénédictine cutting through the rye’s bite.
- Bitters addition. A dash or two of Angostura nudges it closer to an Old Fashioned in character, while keeping the Bénédictine as the primary sweetener.
- Monte Cassino. Add a touch of yellow Chartreuse and a squeeze of lemon juice for a more herbal, citrus-brightened variation.
- Smoked Kentucky Colonel. A rinse of a peated Scotch in the glass before building the drink adds a smoky note that plays well against the honeyed Bénédictine.
FAQ
What does a Kentucky Colonel taste like?
Warm and honeyed, with the Bénédictine’s spice sitting under the bourbon’s caramel and oak. Closer to a simplified Old Fashioned than anything overtly sweet.
Is this the same as a Kentucky Colonel with Chartreuse?
No, that’s a different, more herbal variation sometimes called the Monte Cassino. The original recipe is just bourbon and Bénédictine.
Can I make it with rye instead of bourbon?
Yes, that version has its own name, the Monte Carlo, and drinks drier and spicier than the bourbon original.
What else does Bénédictine show up in?
Quite a bit from this era. It’s a key player in the Vieux Carré and the Widow’s Kiss, both of which lean on its honeyed, herbal character.
More Classics to Try
If the Kentucky Colonel’s restraint appeals, the Old Fashioned is the obvious next stop for comparison. For more from this same honeyed, Bénédictine-driven family, try the Widow’s Kiss, and if you want to see bourbon dressed up rather than stripped back, the Seelbach is the place to go next.
Here is the recipe
Kentucky Colonel
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Bourbon
- ½ ounce Bénédictine
- 1 lemon peel
Instructions
- Add the bourbon and Bénédictine to a mixing glass with ice.
- Stir until chilled.
- Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube.
- Express the lemon twist over the drink and drop it in.