Berry Bourbon Smash + How To Choose A Signature Whiskey for Your Bar Cart

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Diageo. All opinions are mine alone. The following content is intended for readers who are 21 or older. #CollectiveBias #thewhiskey5

Attending college (the best college in the world, fact) in the South sparked my love for whiskey. Whiskey was served at any party we went to, and certainly the first thing ordered at the bars. After college, I spent 2 years living in Kentucky and was introduced to a slightly different liquor that was king in Kentucky, known as bourbon. I've pretty much been in love with each ever since.

Now, a lot has changed since I was in college, and also since I lived in Kentucky. For starters, I'm an adult with a job (well, technically like 43 jobs if you count this blog and my full time job, and Dallas Love List and occasionally blog designing, and occasionally free-lance writing and and and... you catch my drift). Sure, I had jobs in college and while living in Kentucky, but my salary reflected that of a punk kid just out of college.

Now, at age 30, I can afford to not jump straight to well liquors - and the lovely way they make you feel the next morning. I like to think of a nice liquor as an investment piece for my bar cart. I'm certainly not going to serve it in bulk at a party, and it's there for us to enjoy from time to time.

SO, you want to invest in a nice liquor, but what the heck do you buy???

Enter Whiskey5.com, You simply select the two flavors that best suit your taste, and use a slider to select intensity of each flavor. I'm no newbie to whiskey, so I fell straight in the bold category. Is it weird to be proud of this? Should I add this to my resume? Asking for a friend...

You'll select between the following flavor profiles: Smooth, Spicy, Bold, Sweet, Smoky, then just hit "Get results" to find your flavor. That simple. It even gives you recipe ideas, or suggests if it would actually be good just solo, on the rocks! CB and I like to have whiskey on the rocks (I personally dig the circular ice molds, they're fantastic) and a splash of water.

Today though, I thought I'd show you a cocktail you can make using one of the bourbons I picked out of the bold category: Bulleit 10 year old. The bold category explores the deeper flavors achieved by generous aging; a remarkable pallet with a mix of oak, dark fruits and charred smokiness and long rich finish.

My absolute favorite bourbon/whiskey cocktail is a smash, with muddled fruits and herbs. So, let's hop to it!

Here is my Berry Bourbon Smash featuring Bulleit Bourbon 10 year old!

|| Instructions Makes 2 || 

4 Strawberries

Small handful of blueberries (I used about 10) 

8 basil leaves

3 oz bourbon

3 oz lemon lime soda

1.5oz lemon juice

1 oz agave or simple syrup

Lemon slices and basil for garnish 

|| Directions || 

Lightly muddle strawberries, blueberries and basil in a cocktail shaker until fragrant. Add bourbon and lemon juice, then fill with ice and shake. Strain into a rocks glass filled crushed ice and top with lemon lime soda. Garnish with lemon slice and basil. 

It's so easy to use the whiskey5.com site to find your flavor match! Go check out their website, select your two flavor profiles, adjust using the slider and voila! Your new whiskey match appears. They even have a store locator for you to find your whiskey match. While in store, be on the lookout for the following whiskey5.com branded display! 

So, are you a whiskey drinker? 

If so, what's your favorite, go-to whiskey?