Kentucky Colonel Punch

A batch bourbon punch combining black tea, peach nectar, lemon, and bitters — built to serve a crowd and named for Kentucky's most celebrated civic honor.

The Kentucky Colonel is one of the most famous honorary titles in American civic culture, awarded by the Governor of Kentucky in recognition of noteworthy achievements and significant contributions to the Commonwealth. The title dates to 1813, when the Governor of Kentucky began bestowing it as a civilian honor — not a military commission — to distinguished individuals. Over two centuries it has been granted to thousands of recipients including Winston Churchill (honored in 1942 during his alliance with the United States), Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Clay in Louisville in 1942 and one of Kentucky's most celebrated native sons), Lyndon B. Johnson, Whoopi Goldberg, Dolly Parton, and many others. The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, founded in 1932, is the official organization of commissioned colonels and the world's largest military-themed service organization, using its membership to fund charitable programs across Kentucky. Kentucky Colonel Punch draws on this tradition of Kentucky pride and celebratory spirit, combining bourbon — the state's defining product and one of its most significant economic contributors — with citrus, sweetener, and a sparkling component appropriate for toasting. The punch format mirrors the communal nature of the Colonel tradition itself: the honor is meant to be shared, celebrated publicly, and accompanied by the kind of convivial gathering for which Kentucky bourbon culture has always provided the appropriate libation.