Natalie Bovis Talks Whiskey (And Dogs!)

By Richard Thomas

That I’m a devoted dog lover will probably come as a surprise to you, despite that devotion rising to such a level that I jokingly affirm my “dog nut” status is a minor mental illness. The only time whiskey and dogs have ever crossed paths in such a way as I could write about it was the publication of Bourbon Tails a few years ago, that being a coffee table photography book dedicated to the pets of folks in the bourbon industry.

But here we are again, with a new book bringing together man’s best friend and drink: Drinking With My Dog, by Natalie Bovis. Better still in terms of talking whiskey, Bovis is a drinks consultant and educator with her own liqueur brand.

RT: Let’s start with why we’re here, because while you are a fixture in the drinks and hospitality circuit, you have a new book out that brings two subjects that are near and dear to my heart together: dogs and booze. Not only that, I’ve seen you have a similar book about cats and booze slated for 2024.

What specifically inspired you to pull these threads together, and how does one practically go about making a work about cocktail ideas paired with pets?

NB: I’m so glad you asked this question because it is my whole “why” in writing this book!

I have three previous cocktail / mocktail books, and my niche is upbeat gifty books with cocktail recipes related to a particular topic. In my own personal life, I am a devoted animal advocate. I foster, volunteer, and fundraise for animal groups including my local animal shelters. I have managed to acquire 7 rescue pets – two dogs and five cats – as well as 13 goldfish which came with my house in the backyard pond. One of those is a goldfish I rescued from someone who posted on Facebook about finding him abandoned – no food and filthy water – in a classroom during summer break. That little guy now lives a great life!

Writing Drinking With My Dog (and Cocktails With My Cat) gave me a chance to further research the companion animals we so adore, and throughout the book you’ll have no doubt that I am cheerleading for animal rescue and wild habitat protection. I’ve been writing about cocktails since I founded The Liquid Muse as a mixology blog back in 2006. So, I thought that a cocktail book geared toward toasting our furry friends would be a fun way to encourage people to think about the other species with whom we share this magical planet, and raise a glass to helping them out. I have book signings coming up in various cities and will donate a portion of the book sales from those specific events to a local rescue in each place. I’m really excited about that. In a nutshell, these books give more meaning to my booze writing career.

RT: We’re an all-things whiskey website, and so for us the natural question is pairing whiskey with pets. Your book is full of cocktail ideas for particular circumstances, but in a more general and neat drinking sense… is a dog person likely to be a bourbon person? Or a Weimeraner lover going to get really into Japanese Whisky?

NB: Well, I certainly hope that dogs will draw folks in, and the recipes will raise the bar in their own home bartending! The section on how to create a signature cocktail in honor of one’s own dog encourages people to start with a spirit they love. So, whether that is bourbon, rye, Scotch, Japanese, Irish, Canadian whiskies, or any other spirit, the idea is to create their own concoction based on love – love of spirits and love of dogs!

To answer your question more directly, I tend to think of “dog people” as outdoorsy, active, and adventurous, so I think that whiskey is a wonderful spirit for someone with those qualities because if whiskey were a person, that’s how I’d picture their personality!

RT: Of all the cocktail recipes in your book, which one is actually the staple of your spend the evening on the couch with your pets time?

NB: My favorite drink is a Manhattan. Usually with rye but sometimes with bourbon. It just depends on my mood. And, I co-founded OM Chocolate Liqueur. So, naturally, I created a chocolate Manhattan called “Brown Eyed Girl” in honor of my own dog, Lula who is also the cover girl for my book.

At home, I make several variations of this drink – sometimes I add some spicy bitters, sometimes I add a little cream which pulls it away from a classic Manhattan, of course. But, the thing I teach in all my cocktail classes is that mixology is FUN so as long as the drink is balanced and tastes great to you, it’s a winner. I also love chocolate covered cherries as a garnish!

RT: You also penned a book called Garden to Glass, which was about taking things you can grow in your garden and freshening up your cocktails. Any recommendations on herbs I can put in my garden that are ideal for riffs on classic whiskey cocktails?

NB: Yes, Edible Cocktails: Garden to Glass is very much a home-cook’s guide to bartending. Obviously, mint and bourbon are a match made in heaven as we know from those lovely little Juleps. However, I’m also a fan of sage with rye whiskey. The sage has an earthiness that plays really nicely with the spicy notes of rye whiskey. A little homemade sage syrup in an Old Fashioned is pretty darn interesting!

RT: New Mexico is your stomping ground, and the signatures of whiskey-making in the Southwest have become: whiskeys utilizing blue corn; and mesquite-smoking. What are your thoughts on these two trends?

NB: I’m all for experimentation as long as the end result is a quality, well-made spirit. I love smoky flavors – I adore smokey and rubber-tire smelling Scotches, for example. If it smells like a camp-fire, I will love it! And, I think it’s cool to use blue corn as a base for local spirits in New Mexico. It’s a kind of homage to the people who lived here before the European settlers arrived. And, both food and drink is best when it reflects where it comes from, in my opinion. That’s what makes it unique.

RT: Speaking of your stomping ground, what bars can you recommend in your New Mexico scene for whiskey fans looking for a noteworthy pour and/or a good whiskey cocktail? With or without dogs.

NB: Rather than singling out any one particular bar, I would just give a general note that this is whiskey country. This is also tequila country. Those two spirits outsell all the others combined. (Vodka aside, of course.) This is the landscape of cowboys, and women who historically have lived every bit as boldly as the men. Whiskey is the drink of dream chasers who aren’t afraid to get up and at ‘em. And, I think that vibe, along with plenty of the brown stuff, is found at pretty much any bar worth its salt here in New Mexico.