As someone who has never consumed spirits (alcohol, not ghosts), I’ve been curious about the growth in the non-alcoholic spirit industry. Monday is a brand that I’ve seen show up on high-end mocktail menus, so I decided to purchase a bottle of their whiskey to experiment on my own. The label is elegant as hell, invoking a classic art deco Great Gatsby aesthetic. But how does it taste?

Flavor Notes

On its own, this stuff is wild. I don’t have a great frame of reference for whiskey, but when the liquid hit my tongue I immediately tasted a complex bitterness. This faded into a subdued honey, and then finished with a slightly spicy burnt sugar and molasses note. Some of the sharpness was reminiscent of something between medicinal and metallic. It’s strong, and it lingers. Without a deliberate choice to taste and experience it I’m not sure that I would have enjoyed it, but it grew on me, and I was curious to see how it would pair with other beverages.

Whiskey Dr Pepper

I obviously added a splash to a cold Dr Pepper. I’m aware of “Jack and Coke” where people add whiskey to Coca-Cola, and I was confident that somewhere in Texas there are people that do the same thing with Dr Pepper. I’d say that the Monday Whiskey enhanced some of the more medicinal notes already in Dr Pepper. Think of how Dr Pepper might taste if it were aged in oak barrels, and you might be close to what I picked up. My wife hated it and thought it tasted like cough syrup, but I’m not convinced that she went into this with an open mind. This pairing was successful.

Kentucky Mule

My next experiment was a play on a Moscow Mule swapping in whiskey for the vodka…a Kentucky Mule. I don’t have the hammered copper mugs that are traditional for a mule, but I made due with a thick tumbler and crushed ice. For this beverage I used 3 ounces of Fever Tree Ginger Beer, 1 ounce of Monday Whiskey, 2 tbsp of fresh lime juice, fresh mint, and 4 splashes of bitters. This was my favorite combination, although the Fever Tree is very strong as a mixer and it wasn’t clear if some of the “heat” was coming from the whiskey or the ginger beer. Either way, this is a terrific sipping beverage due to the tartness of the lime juice, the sharp heat of the ginger beer, and the warm notes of the whiskey. The mint and bitters add some additional layers, and it’s plenty strong to be enjoyed as the ice slowly melts into the glass. Very complex and interesting. This worked very well.

Whiskey Sparkling Cider

Martinelli’s Sparkling Apple Cider makes an appearance at most big holiday meals in my house. Over Thanksgiving I took advantage of an open bottle of Martinelli’s and splashed a glass of it with some Monday Whiskey. This was delicious. As much as I love Martinelli’s, it’s essentially one note (sweet). The whiskey provided a much more nuanced flavor journey. The spicy notes emerged and then quickly dissipated into the molasses flavors. I think it really rounded out the beverage, and it’d be even better with an orange twist and a star anise garnish. This is a holiday drink that I’ll likely attempt again soon. It worked like a charm.

Whiskey Eggnog

I’m in my forties now and I can’t handle eggnog like I could 20 years ago. My metabolism just isn’t on the same page with my nostalgia. However, everything in moderation, and I’ll sneak a small glass of the good stuff here and there. Smith Brother’s Milk sells one of my favorite versions of eggnog, and adding the Monday Whiskey to it was a no-brainer. Again, the whiskey took something that was predominantly sweet and gave it body. I really enjoyed the warm sting of the whiskey as a foil to the lush and creamy eggnog. It was such a clear improvement that I’d be tempted to put a splash of the whiskey in the eggnog every time I decide to indulge. This was another success.

Whiskey Metamucil

I already mentioned that I’m over 40, and at this point my second most consumed beverage (after plain water) is Metamucil. I make myself a thick cup of the fiber supplement every morning to keep me…on schedule. I’m starting to think that I have a non-alcoholic alcohol problem because I was inspired to add a shot of Monday Whiskey to my morning cup of Metamucil, and it was an experience! Metamucil has a distinctly fake orange flavor, and it also becomes thicker by the second from the time you stop stirring to when you get it down your throat. The time it took me to open the bottle of whiskey, pour in a reasonable shot, stir to combine, and then bring the cup to my lips was enough to give it a milkshake consistency. That texture combined with the fake orange combined with the bitter burnt sugar notes of the whiskey was not something that I will consume again. I enjoyed it in a purely self-flagellating way, but I can’t earnestly recommend it to anyone trying to enhance their morning fiber routine. This did not work.