Cocktails

Kentucky Colonel

Kentucky Colonel is a cocktail made with Bourbon, Benedictine, and Lemon Peel. It is served in a Cocktail Glass.

Reviewed by the WhatDrink Editorial TeamHow we calculate nutritionSuggest a correction

Cocktailalcoholic44.3% ABV3 ingredients

At a Glance

266 kcalCalories

44.3%ABV

3.7gSugar

5.2gCarbs

2.58Std Drinks

Estimated from parsed ingredients and typical ingredient nutrition.

On this page

How hard is it to make?

Easyshaken drink

Why: 3 ingredients, shaken drink, requires shaker

Estimated from the ingredient count and technique.

Ingredients & Tools

3 ozBourbonBase Spirit
1/2 ozBenedictineLiqueur Modifier
1 twist ofLemon peelGarnish

Tools:Cocktail Shaker

How to Make It

In a shaker half-filled with ice cubes combine the courbon and Benedictine.Shaken
Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.Shaken
Garnish with the lemon twist.Garnish

How to Serve

Glass: Cocktail Glass
Temperature: Chilled
Ice: Cubed ice
Method: Shaken

Served Chilled

Serving tips

Serve Kentucky Colonel cold and taste the bitterness before adjusting sweetness. A citrus peel or clean garnish can lift the aroma without making it sweeter. It is commonly matched with bbq, steak, grilled meat style pairings.

Taste

What does Kentucky Colonel taste like?

Kentucky Colonel has a drier, more aromatic profile. Bitter, herbal or botanical notes give it structure and make it feel less sugary.

Primary flavours

Spice Botanical Caramel

Supporting notes

Herbal Honey Oak Vanilla

Flavor tags are derived from ingredient-level flavor mappings.

Estimated sensory profile

StrengthLight – Strong

BodyLight – Full

SweetnessDry – Sweet

AcidityFlat – Crisp

FruitinessEarthy – Fruity

BoldnessDelicate – Bold

High ABV
Full-bodied

What do these dimensions mean?

Practical notes

When to choose it

How to decide if Kentucky Colonel is right for you

Kentucky Colonel is a balanced cocktail choice shaped by spice, botanical, caramel. Choose it when that flavor direction fits the food, season or mood. The listed serve is about 44.3% ABV, so strength is part of the decision.

Skip if

Skip Kentucky Colonel if...

Skip Kentucky Colonel if the listed flavor direction does not match your mood. It leans toward spice, botanical, caramel, so choose a different page if you want another style.

When to serve

BBQ / CookoutSuggested from its oak notes, pairing with bbq and grilled meat.
Winter / CozySuggested from its spice notes.

Occasion tags are inferred from drink style, serving format, flavour profile, food-pairing theme, recipe metadata, and strict multi-signal supplemental rule matches.

Food pairings

BBQ Steak Grilled Meat

Food pairings are derived from the drink flavour signature, mapped to one dominant pairing theme, then limited to coherent public suggestions.

Diet & lifestyle

Compatible, based on the listed ingredients

Gluten-Free Vegetarian

May be limited

Vegan

Not compatible

KetoLow-CarbLow-Sugar

Find vegan-compatible cocktails

Diet tags are ingredient-level and nutrition-estimate based. Product brands, preparation methods, quantities, and substitutions may change compatibility.

Alternatives to try

Choose an ingredient to see reviewed substitutions, or filter for a different preference.

Reviewed ingredient substitutions

Bourbon3 oz

Rye WhiskeyWorks, with a noticeable change

How much to use: Use the same amount; adjust sweetener if the drink becomes too dry.
What changes: Rye whiskey can replace bourbon when a spicier, drier version is acceptable.

Vegetarian-compatibleGluten-free-compatible

Lemon Peel1 twist of

Lemon TwistGood swap

How much to use: Use a similar-sized twist.
What changes: A lemon twist is usually a close substitute for lemon peel.