Kansai-jin: Peach-Bourbon, Pecan Orgeat, Lemon Peels

Pretty much the first drink you should mix after making homemade orgeat should be a Japanese cocktail, which is exactly what I did, with a twist, of course.

Kansai-jin2 oz Peach-infused bourbon.5 oz Pecan orgeat2 Lemon peels3 Dashes of angostura bittersStir over ice, strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a fresh lemon peel.

Instead of brandy, I wanted to use this peach-infused bourbon that I've had laying around since the end of summer, and I've had a strong desire to do something with peaches and pecans for a while now. Just like the Japanese cocktail, there's nothing Japanese about it, except for its name.

Peach-infused Bourbon1 cup Peaches, chopped1 cup Bourbon1 Stick of cinnamonCombine the peaches and bourbon and let infuse for 2 days. Add the cinnamon stick at the end of the 2nd day and allow the infusion to continue for another day. Strain.

The peach bourbon was a huge success, and is one of the tastiest infusions I've made so far. Infusions of fruits like peaches or pears add a subtle, yet sweet fruitiness to bourbon, and I like to add some spices in on the last day to add a tiny burst of something to the bourbon's finish. It's been hard to keep this stuff around as it is a favorite whenever guests raid my home bar.As for the pecan orgeat, we used the Serious Eats orgeat recipe, except that we substituted pecans for almonds. I've found that homemade orgeat is much nuttier than the store-bought kind.The drink has an aroma of lemon, peaches, and roasted pecans. The nuttiness from the orgeat penetrates the bourbon's peachy, oaky spice, and the citrus oils and orange flower water in the orgeat add some bright floral notes. Overall, bourbon made an interesting subsitution for brandy, but I can't help but wonder if it was too much for this drink. Perhaps it would have been better with peach-brandy.Kanpai!