With the legend herself, Stevie Nicks, performing this weekend at the Bourbon & Beyond festival in Kentucky, we thought it’d be a great time to look at how to pair America’s spirit, bourbon, with different Stevie Nicks songs. In order to do so, we spoke to some of the best in the business — star bartender Jane Danger, award-winning author Fred Minnick, and Angel’s Envy master distiller Wes Henderson — to get their take on some of the best ways to pair the two.
Neat Pour paired with “Landslide”
2 parts Angel’s Envy Bourbon
Method: Serve neat.
“‘Landslide’ has a deeply personal meaning for me, and this brand is such a family brand, which I think creates such a great connection between the music and Angel’s Envy. That song, in particular, comes to mind, when I think of such personal connections.” — Wes Henderson
The Nightbird paired with “Nightbird”
1.5 parts Angel’s Envy Bourbon
.75 part pineapple juice
.5 part lemon juice
.5 part cinnamon syrup*
Pineapple leaf
Lemon peel feather
Edible orchid
Method: Build in shaking tins. Shake. Fine strain into a rocks glass with ice. Pineapple leaf and lemon peel feather with an edible orchid.
*If in a pinch, raw cane sugar syrup and a dropper of Bittermens Tiki Bitters may be used.
“While researching some of Stevie’s favorite things, I came across a love of animal crackers, a special recipe for a famous chip dip, and her favorite perfume. The perfume was the inspiration. It had notes of wood and white flowers, coming across as sweet and warm … just like this cocktail.” — Jane Danger
The Perfect Cocktail paired with “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”
2 parts Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Bourbon
Method: What you want to do is get a nice rocks glass, fill it to the brim with ice. I mean cram that son of a gun. Get your bourbon, pour two ounces in a separate shot glass. Then, take your rocks glass and dump all the ice in sink. You can now pour the bourbon into the glass and enjoy neat. Perfect cocktail.
“Because good bourbon is best neat, and it breaks my heart when I see people screwing with it.” — Fred Minnick
Black Walnut Old Fashioned paired with “Edge of Seventeen”
1.5 parts Angel’s Envy Bourbon
2 dashes Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters
2 dashes Fee Brothers Cherry Bitters
1 sugar cube
Orange peel
Method: Place sugar cube in an old fashioned glass and add bitters. Muddle together with a few drops of water. Add cubes of ice and bourbon. Give a quick stir, express orange peel over the top. Rub the outside of the peel around the rim and drop in.
“A classic song for a classic cocktail. This was the first Stevie Nicks song I ever heard (or could at least identify) and the drink, well, does much more need to be said about an old fashioned? You could use Angostura, but I think adding the black walnut and cherry bitters instead gives it a nice little twist without being too much.” — Sam Slaughter
The Bourbon & Beyond Festival features music, food, activities, and lots of bourbon in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 23-24, and the BGS will be there presenting two days’ worth of great roots music. Come on down!
