Sipping Outside My Comfort Zone

I never thought bourbon was my drink. But in the spirit of adventure, I decided to give it a shot. Here's how I learned to appreciate it, and how you can too.

- JENNA HELWIG

TAKE ME TO A BAR, and I'll order the most mezcal- or tequila-forward cocktail on the menu. Offer me a drink at your place, and I'll ask for Campari or gin. What I have historically never, ever gone for is brown spirits. Especially bourbon-it always seemed too harsh, too strong, too not for me.

Elizabeth McCall, master distiller at the major bourbon brand Woodford Reserve, says she's heard my story before. "The biggest hurdle for many women has been the stereotype of the typical bourbon drinker: an older man with a drink in a library with a cigar." But she says that's changing. "Women are now driving the bourbon category."

And it's definitely going places. Bourbon production has grown by 360 percent in the last two decades, according to the Kentucky Distillers' Association. Considering its popularity, the tempting bourbon cocktails I've seen on menus, and the fact that it's borderline malpractice for a drinks writer to ignore a whole category of liquor, I decided it was time to, if not love these drinks, at least understand their appeal.