by 
Having grown up in the Bluegrass, I’m always surprised when the visiting folks I’m guiding through Kentucky Bourbon Country tell me they’ve never heard of bourbon balls.
Traditionally, these bourbon–infused chocolate sweet treats have been a favorite around the holidays. By holidays, I mean Christmas and Kentucky Derby Week. But these days, you can find bourbon balls year–round at distillery gift shops and candy stores, along with hotels, bars, and restaurants around the Commonwealth.
What’s not to love? Chocolate. Bourbon. Pecans. Today, there are lots of variations of the bourbon ball recipe: dipped in melted chocolate; rolled in powdered chocolate or confectioners’ sugar; topped with a single whole pecan or rolled in chopped pecans. But most recipes will include the big three ingredients, with an emphasis on the bourbon.
History books in Kentucky tell us that Ruth Booe, one of the founders of Rebecca Ruth Candy, invented the bourbon ball in 1938 in Frankfort. With multiple locations around the state, it’s still the most popular piece of candy the company sells today. The Rebecca Ruth website says, “Our famous Bourbon Ball candy consists of a creamy bourbon center with the kick of real bourbon, covered in dark chocolate, and topped with a Southern pecan.”
But Mrs. Booe wasn’t the only Ruth in town making candy a hundred years ago. Well, maybe she was. But over in Mt. Sterling, Ruth Hunt was also growing a candy business she started in her kitchen and doing creative things with bourbon and chocolate. Today, in addition to bourbon balls and a variety of confections, Ruth Hunt Candy makes the line of bourbon chocolate for Woodford Reserve that includes bourbon balls, mint julep balls, and bourbon caramels.
Most of the Kentucky bourbon distilleries offer bourbon balls for sale at their visitor experience gift shops. In my experience, bourbon balls make excellent holiday or corporate gifts.
My parents went with my wife, Judy, and I to a nighttime Christmas–lights event at Maker’s Mark Distillery a few years ago. Bourbon balls were handed out as part of the festivities. Pro–tip: they soak the pecans in Maker’s Mark bourbon, too. Since then, the Maker’s Mark gift shop candy section has been a go–to when Christmas shopping for Mom.
Check out your favorite bourbon brand’s website, such as Evan Williams, and odds are you’ll find their version of bourbon balls for sale. Or, you might try Pappy & Co. Homemade Bourbon Balls made with Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year bourbon. A Taste of Kentucky in Louisville is a good one–stop shop and offers a variety of bourbon balls and other chocolates from several different makers.
Not all bourbon chocolates are created equal
There’s no question bourbon and chocolate is a pairing for the ages. But it doesn’t always have to come in the exact same form. Our friend Kelly Ramsey, founder of Art Eatables in Louisville, experimented until she came up with the Small–batch Bourbon Truffle™, using different chocolates to pair with each bourbon featured.
What’s the difference? “A bourbon ball is primarily a creamed sugar center, dipped in chocolate and topped with a pecan,” Ramsey told me. “Now, what we do is very different. Our Small–batch Bourbon Truffles are a chocolate center, dipped in more chocolate and topped with our brand identification token. We are known for pairing bourbon and chocolates, which makes our Small–batch Bourbon Truffles very unique.”
If nuts are a problem, Ramsey’s company is the only nut-free bourbon candy maker in the country.
Ramsey was a member of the inaugural class of Executive Bourbon Stewards trained by the Stave and Thief Society. That makes her the world’s first (and only) bourbon–certified chocolatier. Today, Ramsey’s shops around Louisville offer a variety of chocolate and spirit combinations, including small-batch truffles made with bourbon, rye, and whiskey, including nearly 30 brands ranging from Michter’s to Old Forester to Rabbit Hole. Her products are also available at several distillery gift shops.
What’s hot in bourbon truffles for the coming holiday season? “We have our limited edition 12 Days of Bourbon. We have done this for the past 6 years and it’s become a staple for the holidays,” Ramsey said. “I take 12 different bourbons from my personal collection and create limited small–batch bourbon truffles.”
Bourbons in this delicious dozen in previous years included Pappy Van Winkle 23–year, Heaven Hill 27–year, William Larue Weller, and Old Fitzgerald (from the Stitzer–Weller Distillery before production was moved to Buffalo Trace). This year’s collection will be available for pre–sale only online.
If you thought a bourbon Master Blender had the perfect job, wait until you add chocolate to the job description. “My passion is bourbon and creating chocolates and pairing experience with chocolates and confections,” Ramsey said. “So, for me, it’s all about bourbon, and chocolate is the just the avenue I have chosen to introduce people to this wonderful spirit.”
Home is Where the Bourbon Balls Are
Bourbon balls don’t have to be left to the professionals; they’ve been a homemade favorite in Kentucky for generations. Don’t believe me? In junior high school, my friend, Greg Ratliff, shared the homemade bourbon balls with me that his mother had sent in his sack lunch. The next period, we were both sent to the principal’s office because the teacher smelled whiskey on our breath.
Apparently, Mrs. Ratliff’s bourbon ball recipe didn’t include the disclaimer you’ll find on the Maker’s Mark recipe:
Not for Kiddos: Since bourbon balls are not cooked in any way, the Maker’s Mark in them is fully active. Difficult as it may be, don’t eat too many and do keep these out of the reach of children. Thankfully, brown bag bourbon balls were still a legitimate explanation in the early 1970s for what seemed like delinquent behavior. We were returned to class with a warning to Greg to bring Twinkies in his lunch from then on.
You’re not truly experiencing all the world of bourbon whiskey has to offer until you’ve explored bourbon balls and some of the many bourbon candy options that you’ll find all around Kentucky. You can turn to some of the pros described here. (But order now if you want them for the holidays.)
Better still, try your hand at some homemade bourbon/chocolate/pecan goodness. See the Maker’s Mark Bourbon Ball recipe below which is one of my favorites. Try this recipe from Southern Living. (Although I’m not sure what they’re thinking by including ground-up vanilla wafers. To each his own.) Or simply search for “bourbon balls recipe.”
Either way, as with all bourbon, enjoy your bourbon balls responsibly. And don’t send them to school in your kid’s lunch.
What to get
- 2 tbsp. Maker’s Mark® Bourbon
- 1 cup bourbon–soaked chopped pecans
- 1 lb. confectioners’ sugar + 2 cups extra
- 1/4 lb. unsalted butter
- 8 oz. Hershey’s® All Natural unsweetened baking chocolate
- 4 tbsp. grated paraffin
- Whole pecans for topping each bourbon ball
What to do
- DO AHEAD: Place pecans in a jar – add Maker’s Mark to cover 1 inch over pecans. Approx. 1-1/2 cups. Cover tightly with lid and let stand 7–10 days for pecans to absorb bourbon flavor.
- Drain bourbon–soaked pecans thoroughly and set aside. Discard the whisky. It will be bitter and unusable now.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter by using an electric mixer.
- Add 1 pound sugar and Maker’s Mark Bourbon alternately to the butter until blended.
- Gently stir in pecans.
- Refrigerate for 20 minutes to allow the mixture to stiffen.
- Place 2 cups sugar in a small bowl. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove mixture from refrigerator. Scoop tablespoon–sized portions from mixture. Drop into sugar and then roll 1–inch ball. Place on baking sheet.
- Refrigerate 2 hours.
- Melt chocolate and paraffin in a small double boiler or use a coffee mug in a pan of boiling water. Stir until the mixture is smooth.
- Using a long toothpick, dip each ball into the chocolate and place back on the baking sheet. Immediately top with a whole pecan and allow to cool.
- Serve at room temperature. Store in refrigerator covered for up to 2 weeks.
