While some of these made up holidays seem a bit silly (National Blonde Brownie Day, really?), June 14 is one that we can get behind. Today is National Bourbon Day, commemorating the 18th century accidental discovery by American liquor shippers that white whiskey underwent magic when aged in wooden barrels.

Happily for us, the craft of corn whiskey distilling and aging has become extremely refined, and drinkers today are presented with a variety of options for bourbon-based cocktails. You can certainly sip the spirit alone, assuming you choose a relatively high-end label — one of our favorite values is Eagle Rare Single Barrel, aged 10 years and usually available for around $20 or under.

We prefer to mix the bourbon in a cocktail, and years ago, we crafted a sip that is as potent as it is tasty. For that reason, we dubbed it the Clockwork Orange. Check out the cocktail recipe below, and let us know if you give it a try (though having more than one or two is not recommended!).

Clockwork Orange

1½ oz. bourbon
1½ oz. orange vodka
Angostura bitters
Splashes soda
Orange twist

In a shaker, combine bourbon, vodka and bitters and shake well. Strain into rocks glass over ice and top with a couple of splashes of soda. Garnish with orange twist.

Photo by Danya Henninger