red stag burbon jim beam?!

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Red stag is tasty at the first sip. After that it is way too sweet and the corn syrup sweetener clings to your tongue- blech. I think makers mark (or was it somebody else?...) did it better about ten years ago, but it didn't sell and didn't last long, and it was too expensive for what it was.


I would cut it 50/50 with a good quality rye or whisky to make it drinkable, or better yet make your own from scratch- much better and for a fraction of buying the stuff.

This product is an attempt at reviving a very popular pre-prohibition tradition of making a drink that was once known as cherry smash, and a home-made treat from that same time period known as cherry bombs. These are both very easy to make.

For cherry smash take half a jar of home canned pitted tart cherries (not sweet cherries) and drain most, not all, of the sugar syrup then fill the jar with rye or whisky and store it for a few months, shaking the cherries and rye every now and again. The liquid is called cherry smash, and you put a cherry or two in each glass for a garnish. If you don't have canned tart cherries, get a can of pie filling rinse away some of the goop in a colander, and put the cherries and what goop is left in a jar with the booze. Maraschino cherries in syrup are too candied to work well, look for tart cherry filling. Jim Beam uses sweet cherries and corn syrup and is way too sweet.

Cherry bombs are made by pitting a bunch of fresh ripe tart cherries, leaving the long stems on. Some folks use sweet cherries, other use black cherries, tart cherries are the right ingredient- but it's up to you. Fill a jar with these and cover with rye or whisky. Seal and store for a few months. Pull the cherries out by the stems to eat as the cherry bombs. Drink the juice when the bombs are all gone or start your next batch in the old juice.

The tart cherries give the proper balance of pucker and sweetness and blends well with the taste of the booze. Sweet cherries are good, but... just sweet. High fructose corn syrup ruins everything it is put in, avoid it in all of your bought foods.

Good luck.

I liked honey bourbon products better (Beam, EW and Wild Turkey make them) but I've had the cherry version. I love bourbon but I'm not a fan of this one. Most cherry flavored drinks don't work for me, though.

I've seen it everywhere, locally, but you'll probably have to hit a larger liquor store to find it. Stores only carry what they think they can sell, so stocking a wide range of different liqueurs like SoCo, Wild Turkey Honey or this one isn't practical for smaller stores.

I also don't know if this is a permanent addition to Beam's lineup or a limited/test drink. It's already competing with Evan Williams Cherry.

i enjoyed it. it is a bit sweet, but reminds me of soco. you should be able to get it any decent liquor store.

The main store in my town carries it but the mgr admitted to me it's not a top seller.