Tastes of Texas: An Official BON Cocktail Proposal

Special thanks to fellow BON author, Jeffrey Haley, a.k.a., "The Cocktail King," for his contributions to this week's post.

A lot of the BON authors have been talking over the last few weeks, and the general consensus is that this site is in dire need of an official cocktail. After all, the current state of Longhorn Athletics has left far too many of us constantly reaching for the bottle to knock the sting off of what feels like a perpetual run of lackluster performances. More importantly, one of the strongest Longhorn communities on the web appears divided and fractured over the proper direction of the tattered football and basketball programs, and that community needs a show of solidarity more than anything right now. What better way to bring everyone together for some passionate, and, more importantly, positive discussion than an official cocktail proposal and subsequent debate? Thankfully, Mr. Jeff Haley was willing to take on this crucial project to all of our benefit.

Before beginning experimentation a few parameters had to be laid down for the drink. First and foremost, it had to be good. It didn't matter how perfect the consistency and color were, if it wasn't a tasty beverage, I wasn't going to recommend it to y'all. Second, it needed to be Burnt Orange (for obvious reasons). Finally, we weren't willing to cheat by using additives or food coloring to achieve the Burnt Orange hue.

Jeff and I are both fans of the classic cocktails; it simply doesn't get much better than an Old Fashioned, Manhattan Gimlet, or Martini. While fantastic, though, the classics present a unique issue: classic cocktails are classics for a reason. They've been around for decades, or longer, and it is incredibly difficult to improve upon what many consider perfection. That said, Jeff did an admirable job with this task, and I am incredibly pleased to recommend to y'all what is essentially a fresh take on the Ward Eight.

The first major difference between this drink and a Ward Eight is that this drink contains gin instead of whiskey. Jeff ascertained that he could take care of the color issue more easily with a clear liquor, so gin got the nod. Those of you who don't care for the juniper taste, feel free to substitute vodka. Second, there is more orange juice in this drink than a Ward Eight, a decision also made for color purposes. Finally, the citrus flavor in the BON beverage is lime instead of lemon for no reason other than Jeff and I prefer lime.

So, without further ado, I present to you the unofficial Burnt Orange Nation Cocktail, the Major Applewhite:

3/8 cup gin
1/8 cup lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon grenadine
2 dashes orange bitters

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, shake with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass. Those of you that don't like a dry cocktail, a few dashes of simple syrup will sweeten things up for you.

What say you, BONizens? We both consider this to be a working draft, and we'd love to hear your suggestions on how to improve the drink. As good as this cocktail is, I think it is going to take a concentrated group effort to beat what I consider the best cocktail in existence:

1 part whisk(e)y
1 glass

Pour whisk(e)y in glass. Enjoy.

Be sure to drink the Major Applewhite responsibly as its namesake makes his Texas play calling debut against the Oregon Beavers in The Alamo Bowl this Saturday. Hopefully we'll all be raising our glasses in celebration for a change.