You Proof Cocktail, Inspired by Morgan Wallen

Country music singer and songwriter Morgan Wallen is the inspiration for the You Proof, a bourbon cocktail offering a nice kick and a spicy ginger finish. Great for summer sipping, but just as wonderful for moments when you need a bit of tingle on the lips and touch of warmth at the heart of things.

Who is Morgan Wallen? 

We were inspired by Morgan Wallen’s hit song “You Proof,” a tale of nursing a heartbreak with whiskey. We’ve all been there. Wallen had one of the biggest hits of 2024 with “Last Night,” another song about heartache and drinking—See a pattern? But he comes from humble beginnings in Tennessee and only became famous after competing on The Voice. Since then, he’s risen to stardom, including becoming the inspiration for this cocktail.

You Proof Cocktail, Inspired by Morgan Wallen

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• Author: Sarah Cascone

Print Recipe

Description

A drink that’ll get you just tipsy enough to enjoy Morgan Wallen the way he intended.

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Ingredients

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• 3 oz Woodford Reserve Bourbon
• 3 dashes of ginger bitters
• 1 ½ cup fresh brewed black tea
• 2 oz lemon ginger simple syrup 
• Garnish: lemon wheel and fresh mint

For the lemon ginger simple syrup:

• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• Zest of 1 lemon
• ¾ cup water
• ½ inch ginger, peeled and grated

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Instructions

1. Stir the bourbon and bitters together, then add in the tea and simple syrup.
2. Pour the cocktail over ice in your glass and garnish with a lemon wheel and fresh mint. 

For the lemon ginger simple syrup:

1. In a small saucepan, add the sugar and water over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Remove from heat and add the grated ginger, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
3. Allow mixture to steep, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes.
4. Strain your syrup using a fine mesh strainer to remove all solids. Discard all solids. This Lemon Ginger Simple Syrup will keep in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks or if you add a tablespoon of vodka or rum it will last longer.

Try these other cocktails in our Summer Concert Series

• Forever Young Cocktail, Inspired by Rod Stewart
• Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset Cocktail, Inspired by Luke Bryan
• Appetite for Destruction, Inspired by Guns N’ Roses
• Like a Virgin and Material Girl: 2 Cocktails Inspired by Madonna
• Prickly Pear Lemonade and Queen B: 2 Cocktails Inspired by Beyoncé
• So What Cocktail, Inspired by Pink
• Baker’s Dozen Cocktail, Inspired by Phish
• Man, I Feel Like a Woman Cocktail, Inspired by Shania Twain
• Sunflower Cocktail, Inspired by Post Malone
• Typical Average Cocktail, Inspired by Ed Sheeran
• Crush Cocktail, Inspired by Dave Matthews Band
• Summer’s In Your Blood Cocktail, Inspired by Boygenius
• Lover Cocktail, Inspired by Taylor Swift

Recipe by Sarah Cascone
Styling by Anna Franklin
Photography by Dave Bryce
Story by Star Laliberte

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