Back on June 14, the cocktail world celebrated National Bourbon Day. We celebrated, too, but perhaps a bit too much. The cocktail that we specifically created to honor America’s spirit was mixed, photographed, and drank. Then another one was mixed, it waved off the photo shoot, and then also drunk.

As was another.

By that point, the drink was simply nodding sagely from afar as we dispensed with the garnish and flourish and sacrificed ourselves to the bacchanalia of a Saturday night with no major responsibilities for the next day other than the average chore. Certainly, the married the class knows the true depths of the bottle when it’s an 11:30 bedtime.

Purple Rose of the Desert Sage

Purple Rose of the Desert Sage | ® Cocktails, 365

• 3 oz bourbon (the higher quality the better)
• .25 oz simple syrup
• Three to four fresh sage leaves
• Club soda
• One sage sprig for garnish

Place the fresh sage leaves in the bottom of a rocks glass. Muddle them with the simple syrup. Fill the rocks glass with crushed ice, add the bourbon, and stir well. Top with a couple of splashes of the club soda and gently stir.

Fresh sage goes amazingly well with bourbon, especially if you’ve chosen a bourbon with a higher rye content. It’s not overly sweet, but gives that bit of savory that lingers through the entire drink.