Junior

About the Junior

The Junior is a whiskey sour style cocktail built on Timber Creek Florida Black Rye Whiskey, sharpened with lime juice and rounded out by Benedictine and a couple dashes of Angostura bitters. It pours dry and a little spicy up front, with the rye’s grain backbone cutting through the honeyed, herbal sweetness of the Benedictine before the lime brings everything back into balance on the finish. Angostura adds a clove and cinnamon note that plays well against the rye’s baking spice character, so the drink reads more autumnal than most citrus forward whiskey sours.

Timber Creek Florida Black Rye Whiskey is the right base here because rye needs to hold its own against a liqueur as assertive as Benedictine, and the grain forward profile that comes out of the distillery’s PureBlend process, where each grain is distilled and barreled separately before being blended back together, keeps the spice and pepper notes distinct instead of muddy. That same attention to individual grain character is part of what makes this a grain to glass whiskey worth featuring in a stirred or shaken cocktail rather than reserving for sipping neat. To build the Junior, combine all four ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake hard, about ten to twelve seconds, until the outside of the tin frosts over.

Fine strain into a chilled coupe glass so the drink arrives silky rather than full of ice shards. No garnish is strictly required, though a small lemon or orange twist expressed over the top adds aromatic lift if you want one. This is a good cocktail for a slower evening, paired with a cheese and charcuterie spread, olives, or roasted almonds, since the herbal, slightly bitter profile stands up to salt and fat without getting lost.

It also works as a conversation starter cocktail for guests who think they only like classic whiskey sours, since the Benedictine gives it a more layered, old world edge. As with any spirit forward drink, the Junior is meant to be savored slowly rather than rushed, and it is best enjoyed by adults 21 and older who plan their next steps responsibly, whether that means a designated driver or simply staying put for the night.

The Junior is a whiskey sour style cocktail built on Timber Creek Florida Black Rye Whiskey, sharpened with lime juice and rounded out by Benedictine and a couple dashes of Angostura bitters. It pours dry and a little spicy up front, with the rye’s grain backbone cutting through the honeyed, herbal sweetness of the Benedictine before the lime brings everything back into balance on the finish. Angostura adds a clove and cinnamon note that plays well against the rye’s baking spice character, so the drink reads more autumnal than most citrus forward whiskey sours.

Timber Creek Florida Black Rye Whiskey is the right base here because rye needs to hold its own against a liqueur as assertive as Benedictine, and the grain forward profile that comes out of the distillery’s PureBlend process, where each grain is distilled and barreled separately before being blended back together, keeps the spice and pepper notes distinct instead of muddy. That same attention to individual grain character is part of what makes this a grain to glass whiskey worth featuring in a stirred or shaken cocktail rather than reserving for sipping neat. To build the Junior, combine all four ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake hard, about ten to twelve seconds, until the outside of the tin frosts over.

Fine strain into a chilled coupe glass so the drink arrives silky rather than full of ice shards. No garnish is strictly required, though a small lemon or orange twist expressed over the top adds aromatic lift if you want one. This is a good cocktail for a slower evening, paired with a cheese and charcuterie spread, olives, or roasted almonds, since the herbal, slightly bitter profile stands up to salt and fat without getting lost.

It also works as a conversation starter cocktail for guests who think they only like classic whiskey sours, since the Benedictine gives it a more layered, old world edge. As with any spirit forward drink, the Junior is meant to be savored slowly rather than rushed, and it is best enjoyed by adults 21 and older who plan their next steps responsibly, whether that means a designated driver or simply staying put for the night.