Bracket Buster Bourbon Shot

March is over, but the Madness continues. The Final Four is approaching and your bracket is most likely beyond repair. Some broken things can’t be fixed, but some can. Since basketball is all about making shots, that’s what I’ve done for you here.

There is a cocktail in the Savoy Cocktail Book that appears twice. Once under the name Bunny Hug and once as the Earthquake Cocktail. It is a mind-boggling mixture of equal parts gin, whisky and absinthe. I have made this. It is completely unbalanced and far too dry. Here we try to remedy that by reducing the absinthe and adding a little sweet and a little sour. I call it the Bracket Buster Bourbon Shot.

Bracket Buster

• 1oz bourbon
• 1oz gin
• 2 tsp simple syrup
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp absinthe

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe or shot glasses. Makes 4 one ounce shots.

Mix up a batch of these for a few friends to enjoy with some beers or pour yourself a cocktail of all 4 shots if the tournament really hasn’t gone your way.

One more thing: if Kentucky should happen to win the championship, maybe just have a nice bourbon instead. Cheers!