Weekend at Heather’s
A pineapple whiskey cocktail pulled together with a hint of chocolate
The Recipe
Ingredients
2 oz Pineapple Whiskey
2 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Simple Syrup
.5 oz Cointreau (or other orange liqueur)
4 Dashes Chocolate Bitters
3 tart cherries
Tools
Cocktail Shaker
Rocks Glass
Cocktail Spear/Pick
Instructions
Drip chocolate bitters down side of rocks glass & set aside
Add whiskey, pineapple juice, simple syrup, & cointreau to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake for 20 seconds.
Pour into rocks glass over ice
Spear the tart cherries and place over top of glass & serve
Tips & Tricks
Whiskey Used: The whiskey I used was Buchanan’s Pineapple Whiskey but because of the pineapple juice my instincts say you could use another general scotch whiskey. The drink will come out slightly differently depending on the whiskey used but that’s part of the fun of drink making! Experiment and make the drink perfect for you. Each person will have slightly different flavor profiles that they love so find out what yours are by trying things.
Cointreau: Cointreau is a specific brand of orange liqueur that is considered ‘higher end’ and is often the preferred orange liqueur for margaritas (though Grand Marnier - another specific brand - is in close contest). I personally, like the taste of cointreau better than most triple secs I’ve tried which is why I had it on hand and used it for this drink. As I said for the whiskey, this becomes more of an individual preference. If you have a triple sec on hand then try that! If you don’t like it, adjust the amount added or try it without! You could also add some fresh squeezed orange to the drink and see how if you prefer that. If you want to read more about the differences between orange liqueurs, here is an article that goes more in depth.
Simple Syrup: You can buy simple syrup in the store OR if you don’t already know how to make your own it is super easy and much cheaper. Combine 1 part water and 1 part sugar (i.e. a cup of water to a a cup of sugar) on a pot over the stove. Heat up until the sugar dissolves and then store in an airtight container in the fridge. Usually lasts about a week.
Chocolate Bitters: This is the one thing I suggest not skipping and using the same bitters I used. When I was in the creation stage for this drink I made it without the bitters and it was decent but missing something. I added the bitters and both my spouse and I immediately said ‘yes, this completes it’. I used Woodford Reserve’s bourbon barrel aged Chocolate Bitters and you can find it on Amazon.
Tart Cherries: Using tart cherries to garnish is totally optional. I had some on hand because my spouse and I had just visited Door County Wisconsin and they are known for their Montmorency cherries. One of the tourist shops had tart cherries prepped for cocktails so I grabbed a jar because I knew Heather loved them. I also needed an excuse to use the pineapple cocktail spears I had gotten. They did match well with the other flavors of the drink but the drink itself is still excellent on its own. If you want you can see what maraschino cherries add to it!
The Story
I’ve been friends with Heather for over 10 years and was thrilled to be part of her wedding party this last summer. For her bachelorette party I knew I needed the perfect cocktail and it had to feature pineapple.
One of the things that Heather and I shared over the years was the love for the TV show Psych and that translated into a love of pineapples! It has become a standard thing that whenever I see a fun pineapple item I either send Heather a picture or get it for her. She also just really loves the flavor and taste of pineapple so we were always creating pineapple drinks, snacks, and baked goods to enjoy.
The cocktail began to take shape when I stumbled across Buchanan’s Pineapple Whiskey at our local Total Wine. I saw it and immediately knew I had to get it and make a drink with it for Heather. Creating a drink is both difficult and easy. Easy in that it’s just a lot of putting ingredients together until you find the right combination and difficult in that you do need to have a general idea of how different flavors pair together or you’ll be at it for a very long time.
(My suggestion is to use a small glass and just add 1/4 of the amount or less you’d use for the actual drink as you’ll be making multiple versions and you don’t want to waste too much of the ingredients)
At first I wasn’t sure if adding actual pineapple juice would be too much for the drink but I tried a tiny amount and discovered it paired very well with the whiskey. It was my spouse’s idea to use the cointreau and the orange in it helped balance the pineapple flavor and keep it from being the only thing you tasted.
The chocolate bitters was an addition on a whim because I just knew it was missing something (it was a touch too sweet and the flavors were a little muddled). I’d learned from a friend recently about dripping bitters down the side of the glass so the aromas hit your nose first and subtly change the experience. The slight smokiness of the bitters was exactly what the drink needed to cut the sweetness and balance everything out.
All this combined to make a great drink and best of all, Heather loved it!
If you try out the drink let me know how it goes in the comments! Or, if you make any changes I’d love to hear about them and how the drink turned out. Also, ask any questions you have about this drink, other drinks, how to make drinks, or requests or more drinks!
MISC Extra Notes:
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