Mammoth Cave
Lexington, Kentucky
-Our Retro Roadtrip-
Old Fashioned Cocktails
Bourbon Old Fashioned French Toast
We left Lake Ouachita State Park and Arkansas early in the morning and continued driving North. Our next destination was Mammoth Cave National Park located in remote central Kentucky half way between Nashville, Tennessee and Lexington, Kentucky. This sleeper of a National Park features the worlds longest navigated cave system. I have done a bit of spelunking in my life, and I am always fascinated with how one cave differs the next. For those new to caving, the park offers a number of interesting tours. They range from easy quarter mile walks that last an hour to strenuous 5-mile spelunking tours that take up to 6 hours. Whichever tour you choose, you will not be disappointed in learning about this fascinating cave. Bear in mind, cave temperatures hardly fluctuate. This cave’s temperature hovers around a balmy 54° even on a sweltering hot summer day, so bring a sweater.
The Mammoth Cave campground offers primitive camping with showers available for a fee at the nearby general store and laundry. We arrived right at sunset, checked ourselves in, set up camp, ate an antipasto dinner, and got down to playing Backgammon. After a quick breakfast and shower the next morning, we headed to the main Visitor’s Center to reserve our tour. The two-hour Discovery Tour did not disappoint, although it did
leave me yearning to stay another day to take the 6-hour Introduction to Caving Tour. Alas, we were on a schedule and were expected to arrive at a friends fishing camp outside of Lexington, Kentucky that evening, so taking that tour will have to wait until my next visit.
Along the way, we saw signs advertising that Abraham Lincoln’s Boyhood Home at Knob Creek was just off the highway. Needing a rest stop, we decided to pull off and check it out. It turned out to be a perfect spot to walk the dogs, stretch our legs, and learn about the years Lincoln’s family spent living in the quaint one room cabin.
We were starting to get hungry. After a bit of research on Yelp, we decided a stop in Bardstown to have lunch at the Old Talbott Tavern was in order. Not
only is it one of the country’s oldest stagecoach stops, it’s also rumored to be haunted by the ghost of Jesse James, among others. It was undeniably charming, but we were disappointed with our meal and that we weren't witness to a ghost sighting.
Hi! I'm Nedra! Food tastes better when it's enjoyed in the great outdoors. Life's an adventure, so travel, explore, and go cooking!!
On our way out of town, we discovered the obscure Barton Distillery. Home of the world’s largest Bourbon barrel (who knew), it was indeed a very large barrel and worth the stop for the photo op. We arrived too late to tour the distillery, but we were able to sample their bourbon in the tasting room. Now I’m not a whiskey lover, but the 1792 Small Batch Bourbon was pretty tasty. Inspired by the sampling, I procured a bottle to mix up some Old Fashioned Bourbon Cocktails when we arrived at the fishing camp.
I often become immersed in thought on a long drive. Perhaps I was under the influence of the bourbon tasting, but an idea popped in my mind not only to make the Old Fashioned Cocktail, but also to incorporate the same ingredients into a French toast batter. Imagining that it would be delicious, we made a stop and procured the simple ingredients at a local Walmart.
I always love perusing a grocery store to see what local delicacies they carry, even if it is a Walmart. I found what I was looking for in prepackaged center cut Country Ham. If you’ve never tasted Country Ham, brace yourself for a super salty protein explosion in your mouth. A Southern staple commonly served with buttermilk biscuits, it’s conveniently packaged perfect for traveling in cryovac and doesn’t need to be refrigerated. Talk about travel ready food. I figured it would be a perfect accompaniment to the
Old Fashioned Bourbon French Toast and sausage patties I planned on making for breakfast.
Up to this point, we had lucked out with not encountering any rain since we left Arkansas, but as soon as we rolled up to my friend’s fish camp, the sky opened up. The road down to the house required a 4-wheel drive to circumnavigate, so all our luggage, gear, and dogs had to be transferred into my friend's Subaru and driven down the treacherous road in the downpour.
I certainly was thankful to have a roof
over my head that evening as the incessant rain continued for the next 12 hours. Sadly, we weren’t able to fish because the river waters were raging due to the storm, instead we settled into the cozy house. Drinking Old Fashions with friends, as well as, making a home cooked breakfast in the 70’s style kitchen was a nice respite.
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Here's how to make the classic cocktail:
Old Fashioned Cocktail
An age old classic, this cocktail is a cinch to make. Careful!! Once you get started drinking them, it’s hard to stop. Using big ice cubes is helpful to water down the drink or adding a splash of tonic water is another option.
Serves: 1 Prep time: 5 min Cook time: 0
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2 brown sugar cubes or 1 tsp turbinado or light brown sugar
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three dashes Angostura or craft made bitters
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2 marischino cherries
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1 round slice of orange with flesh and rind
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2 oz bourbon whiskey
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2-3 large ice cubes
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a 2 inch piece of orange peel
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splash of tonic water (optional)
Add the sugar and bitters to an Old Fashioned glass and muddle them until the sugar is incorporated with the bitters. Add the cherries and orange rind and muddle them into the sugar. Add the whiskey and swirl to combine the flavors. Add ice and swirl again. Remove the cherries and orange and garnish with a twist of orange rind and a splash of tonic water. Enjoy!
Bourbon Old Fashioned French Toast
Inspired by a stop at one of the many whiskey distilleries that Kentucky is so famous for, this recipe utilizes the same ingredients as the classic cocktail. Concerned about adding booze to your breakfast?? Not to worry, all of the alcohol will burn off in the cooking process, leaving behind the essence of the bourbon. If you don’t have a muddler, the back of a spoon or even a fork will do the trick.
Serves: 3 Prep time: 5 min Cook time: 10 min
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4 maraschino cherries
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1 brown sugar cube or 1 tsp turbinado or light brown sugar
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2 tbsp bourbon whiskey
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2 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
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2 eggs
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2 tbsp milk or milk alternative such as soy or almond milk
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Pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg
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1-2 tbsp butter
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6 slices of Italian bread sliced 1 ½ inches thick
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butter at room temperature and maple syrup
In a bowl, muddle the cherries, sugar, and bourbon together until the cherries have broken into little pieces and combined with the whiskey and sugar. Add the orange juice and muddle a bit more. Add eggs, cinnamon and nutmeg, and beat all ingredients together with a fork or small whisk. Add milk and beat into the egg mixture until well combined. There will be pieces of Maraschino cherries floating in the batter.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Dip each slice of bread in the egg batter allowing any extra batter to run back into the bowl. Place each piece in a single layer in the hot pan. If the pan is too small to fit all the bread slices in a single layer, fry the bread in batches adding a tablespoon of butter between each batch. Fry each side of the bread, flipping it once, until it turns a golden brown color, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove and serve immediately with a smear of butter and maple syrup.
