Enjoyed: Friday, December 8, 2023

Listed on the menu: No, the menu had mostly “beach” type drinks, but bartender had a decent selection of bourbon and was happy to make me happy.

Ingredients: Woodford Reserve bourbon, simple syrup, angostura bitters, cherry, orange piece.

The occasion: Every December for the past several years, I plan a long weekend trip to put Husband and me in the mood for the upcoming holidays. This year I chose the Northern Neck of Virginia, and specifically the Kilmarnock area. We booked a festive yet cozy bed-and-breakfast for two nights. I found lovely activities for us, too: seafood restaurants; two wineries; an “illuminated” parade of boats and nautical-themed floats; a walk along the sandy shores of the Chesapeake Bay; a fishing museum; and a concert of Cajun holiday music by Beausoleil. Oh, and I finished my Christmas shopping.

My rating: *** out of 5. The Woodford is always tasty, but I would have preferred a touch more of simple syrup, which I could barely discern. Our affable bartender/part-time fisherman told me several times over that he would be tending bar in the main dining area later that night, where he had a few special simple syrups, and he suggested we return. I think he wanted to impress me, but the choices were limited since it was lunchtime. By dinnertime, however, the sun would already have been down, so depriving us of all the gorgeous views of the coves.

Final thoughts: Kilmarnock is a cute little town but full of retirees, we discovered. There are plenty of places to fish, golf, walk on a beach, sip wine, and eat seafood. We liked the quiet pace, but we won’t be moving there since so many businesses close for the winter, real estate prices are now through the roof, and the nearest big hospital is over an hour’s drive away. These are valid concerns for us! Happily, these Rappahannock River communities ship their amazing oysters all over the state, so we can easily re-live our memories.