Georgia Bulldogs Mixology: The Vanderbilt Tailgate Cocktail

Georgia Bulldogs looking for that perfect tailgate cocktail will check in with us each week for the newest and best Bulldog mixes.

Ok, so that wasn’t so bad right?

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In addition to an overwhelming Georgia win with Greyson Lambert looking ~~exceptional~~ capable and no major University of Georgia athlete suffering a serious injury, you received a seemingly endless string of lightning delays to bolster your party time. If you’re like me you took advantage of this, but if you’re also like me you regret ordering the white jersey this year because that thing is just straight filthy now. Great times.

At Georgia Bulldogs Mixology, however, we loathe to live in the past. Yes, we are always looking ahead to the next game, the next tailgate, the next cocktail, and the next chance to politely remind someone that an acoustic guitar has no place at a tailgate (you know who you are). It is in this spirit that my faithful companion Joey Vargas at American Whiskey NYC hit the lab and concocted a delicious beverage for us to take on the road to Nashville.

This week we are heading down to the Music City for a tilt with the Commodores. You remember the Commodores right? The spunky group of underdogs guided by James Franklin? Sure you do. While THESE ‘Dores may be better dressed than their predecessors, they bare more in common with the awesome late 70’s funk group by the same name than the football team that gave Mark Richt and company fits in 2013. I mean listen, this is an SEC road game and I am sure we will make it closer than it has any right to be, but Georgia should handle these ‘Dores with little issue. So with that in mind, Joey produced a smooth-drinking cocktail with a truly Tennessean twist for us to enjoy this week. Joey my friend, take it away….

“For this week I’ve chosen a bit of a modern whiskey classic, one of my all around favorite cocktails. This drink came out of New York’s own Little Branch and is a great refreshing whiskey cocktail that everyone can enjoy on a hot summer day. Traditionally made with bourbon, we’re going to swap in a little Tennessee whiskey.”

THE UGA EX-PATRIOT!

Ingredients

-2 dashes of Angostura Bitters (the same kind you’d use in an Old Fashioned or Manhattan)-

-1 oz of Lime Juice-

-.75oz of simple syrup*-

-2 ounces of George Dickel no. 8 Tennessee Whiskey-

-5 or 6 mint leaves-

Directions:

Grab a mixing tin (or whatever is available to you at your tailgate. Get creative, Brad, everyone is watching).
Add in your bitters, lime juice, simple syrup, whiskey, and mint leaves.
Add plenty of crushed ice and SHAKE VIGOROUSLY. Like shake it off vigorously. Brad, literally everyone is watching, you’re embarrassing yourself, shake harder. **
Strain into your serving glass. This can be served neat or over ice. Try both!

And there you have it, from New York City, through Athens, and into your mouth as the harbinger of bad decisions. You did it Brad, and Becky totally saw your vigorous shake. I hear that she and Xander from Signma Chi are on the outs. It’s going to be a great day!

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With a cocktail in hand head out into that sweet Nashville sun. Take in a day touring a school that is (legitimately) academically superior to most, grab lunch with a student body that is (legitimately) more apathetic about their sporting prospects (baseball, y’all!) than you have ever seen, lose yourself in the live music, visit the Patagonia super-store, and just have a great time because even with an improved defense and more than suitable quarterback (no, really), Georgia edges Vanderbilt in every foreseeable category.

This should be a great day for the Dawgs so that we can feel even worse about ourselves heading into the South Carolina game next week. More on that later, but for now…

Dawgs on top, now top me off!

Big thanks to Ryan in Raleigh for sending us a picture of the Champ Bailey Peach Juleps he served at his season opener party. If you enjoy our take on the Ex-Pat this Saturday, snap a picture and send to joshjohns112@gmail.com we will feature the best pics in our next column!

Additional Notes from Joey…

*Simple syrup is essentially just sugar diluted with water. At American Whiskey we make ours equal parts sugar to hot water to make the syrup.

** Shake vigorously for about 12-15 shakes. As the classic savoy cocktail book says, “when we shake, we’re not rocking a cocktail to sleep, we’re shaking to awaken the flavors” and so they can mix with the water from the ice (water is a key component to any great tasting drink).

Joey Vargas: As head bartender at American Whiskey NYC, Joey Vargas brings his signature approachable charm to the crafted cocktail. A former Baseball player at USF, and a self-described “shot and a beer guy,” Joey became accidentally enamored with bar tending while working as a bartender at the John Dory Oyster Bar between 2011 and 2013. Wanting a craftsman not simply a mixologist behind the bar, Joey quickly rose through the ranks in NYC. Now, a head bartender at American Whiskey NYC, Joey spends his free time with his kickball team “The Rescue Rangers” and watching his dog Delgado chase squirrels.

Josh Johns: A University of Georgia graduate, Josh works for Valiant Comics in New York City. All bets are off during lightning delays y’all.

Special thanks to American Whiskey, NYC. Your home for the Dawgs in NYC. Located at 247 West 30^th street follow them online athttp://www.americanwhiskeynyc.com/, on Twitter at @WhiskeyAmerican, and on Instagram at @AmericanWhikseyNYC.

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