Way back in 2011, Jim Ridley (damn, we all miss that man around here!) wrote a typically eloquent piece on his discovery of Ale-8-One. Jim described a friend offering him his first taste:
"Would you like to try one?" Chelle said, offering to bring me a sample from the cases she hauls back from Winchester. "Oh, I couldn't," I replied, fluttering my eyelashes, while looking around for a bottle opener and some ice. Besides, it would have been inhospitable to refuse — particularly when Chelle described the substance as "liquid crack."Was she right?
Evidence is inconclusive. I'll need several more cases to confirm her description. But on the basis of one bottle, Ale-8-One is an interesting brew indeed. It's a smooth, syrupy ginger ale with a spicy, cinnamon-y undertone. It doesn't taste like Big Cola product: it's more like something you'd have received at a Depression-era drugstore soda fountain.
Longtime fans of the regional beverage have acted like soda mules, smuggling them back from Kentucky for decades. (Although Jim did find a local fix at the Granny White Market.) Traditionally only available in the Bluegrass State and parts of Alabama and Georgia, the almost century-old craft soda has recently made its debut in Nashville and across the state at Kroger stores.
Based in Winchester, Ky., Ale-8 began a Southern distribution expansion outside the state last year: first in all Cracker Barrel stores, then in Harris Teeter, Kroger and Fresh Market stores throughout the South. The soda is still crafted using a handwritten secret formula, mixed by the current CEO and fourth-generation family owner, Fielding Rogers, to achieve its signature taste.
On my frequent visits to sample brown liquor, I’ve often encountered the green bottle, touted as the ultimate mixer with Kentucky bourbon. To that end, I asked the Ale-8-One folks for some of their favorite drink recipes, and they were hospitable enough to oblige. Go pick yourself up a sixer and try one of these cocktails for a real taste of Kentucky.
Jubil8
2 teaspoons Ale-8 simple syrup (recipe below)
6 to 8 mint leaves
Crushed ice
1 ½ ounces bourbon
Ale-8
Gently muddle simple syrup and mint leaves in a silver julep cup. Fill cup with crushed ice. Add bourbon and fill cup with Ale-8. Garnish with a sprig of mint.
Ale-8 and Ginger Infused Simple Syrup
5 Ale-8 suckers (or ½ cup water and ½ cup of Ale-8 if suckers not available)
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons minced ginger (More or less depending on taste.)
1 cup water
Crush Ale-8 suckers with end of muddle or hammer in a small bowl. Add crushed suckers (or water and Ale-8 mixture), sugar, minced ginger and water to a stovetop pot. Simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes until desired consistency is reached. Add more or less water or sugar to reach your desired syrup consistency. Syrup should be thick, not runny.
Bracing Spritz
1 ½ ounce Aperol
Ale-8-One
Orange slice
Prosecco or Champagne
Fill a rocks or Collins glass with ice. Add Aperol and fill glass with Ale-8-One. Top with Prosecco or Champagne. Garnish with an orange slice.
