Our Favorite Ways to Drink More Bourbon This Fall

Step aside, light and lithe summer gin and vodka; broody bourbon's pulling up a stool at the bar with a swagger full of vanilla, oak, and wild cherries. "Bourbon is the great American spirit," Al Young, historian and brand ambassador for Four Roses Bourbon tells Yahoo Shine. Named for Kentucky's Bourbon County, real bourbon doesn't have to come from the commonwealth, but it must be made in the United States. Congress ruled in 1964 that bourbon –– analogous France's Champagne and Scotland's Scotch –– is a distinctly American product. The genuine article must also be distilled from 51 percent corn mash and aged in new charred-oak barrels. "All bourbons are whiskeys," explained Young, "but not all whiskeys are bourbons." As the six-day Kentucky Bourbon Festival kicks off on Sept. 17, we're toasting to fall and the return of books, boots, and our favorite brown booze with both classic cocktails and some outside-the-bottle spirited ideas. ––Sarah McColl, Yahoo Shine staff