The inspiration behind tonight’s cocktail comes from a fascinating piece of family history. My wife and I were recently chatting with my Dad about cocktails and family traditions. Growing up, I knew my parents didn’t drink alcohol at all—which lined up perfectly with my memory of my grandparents, who were also strict teetotalers.
But my Dad dropped a fantastic piece of trivia on us. While deployed in the Army, his fellow troops would regularly congregate at the local watering hole. Finding himself at a bar for the first time without a clue of what to order, he panicked and ordered a glass of crème de menthe. Until tonight, I don’t think I had ever actually tasted the stuff! It got me thinking about how to bring that vintage mint profile onto my own bar and the answer was a classic Stinger with a serious whiskey upgrade.
From High Society to the Highball Glass
Dating back to the 1890s, the Stinger was originally the darling of New York high society, famously championed by billionaires like Reginald Vanderbilt. In its earliest days, it wasn’t a slow-sipping evening highball; it was served up as a digestif (an after-dinner drink) and was built with a punishing 1:1 ratio of white crème de menthe and Cognac or Brandy.
As the drink evolved over the decades, bartenders realized that a sweet, minty liqueur needed a much more robust backbone to truly balance out. Enter the Bourbon Stinger. By swapping the grape for the grain, the cocktail transforms entirely. The modern spec reigns in the sweetness, dialing the liqueur back to a supporting role while a heavy pour of bourbon takes center stage. The rich vanilla, charred oak and caramel notes of a great bourbon wrap around the crisp, cooling mint to create a drink that is incredibly refreshing yet deeply warming.
The Verdict
To be completely honest, this won’t be replacing my go-to evening pour anytime soon, but it certainly wasn’t a bad drink. The combination of the heavy oak and vanilla from the bourbon mixing with the cool bite of white crème de menthe creates an unexpected flavor profile. To my palate, it ended up tasting remarkably like liquid mint chocolate. Like a liquid Andes mint with a high-proof whiskey kick. While it is a bit too minty for my daily rotation, if you enjoy a mint-chocolate vibe or want a nightcap that breaks away from standard classic cocktails, it is definitely worth trying at least once.
Ingredients for the Bourbon Stinger Cocktail
- 2 oz Bourbon (Choose a bold, high-proof bourbon to cut through the sweetness of the liqueur)
- ½ oz White Crème de Menthe
- Garnish: Fresh mint sprig (optional, for aroma)
How to make the Bourbon Stinger Cocktail
- Fill an Old Fashioned glass with crushed or pebble ice. Traditionalists often serve a Stinger up in a coupe, but a Bourbon Stinger shines brightest over crushed ice.
- Combine the bourbon and white crème de menthe in a mixing glass filled with clean ice. Stir thoroughly until the glass is frosty and the mixture is perfectly chilled.
- Strain the cocktail into your prepared glass over the crushed ice.
- Slap a sprig of fresh mint against your wrist to release the essential oils, tuck it into the ice right next to the straw and enjoy a crisp piece of history.
A Quick Bartender’s Note: Learn from my “mistake” here! I actually bought the vibrant green bottle of crème de menthe as a joke to flash at my Dad, completely forgetting a basic rule of color theory. While white and green crème de menthe taste identical, mixing bright green liqueur with amber bourbon results in a cocktail that looks a bit like muddy lake water. If you want a picture-perfect, golden cocktail, hunt down the white crème de menthe. But if you want to honor my Dad’s army days with pure, unadulterated green mint nostalgia, roll with the green bottle and lean into the chaos!
