Branch Water
It only takes a few drops of branch to liven a brown elixir in your great- grandfather's unwashed crystal tumbler. An antique bottle of branch water may last a lifetime. Branch is not used casually; but the simple act of using the branch is a specific connection to Southern lore and Bourbon cocktails." |
I named my business Branch Water as a nod to my late father, Jim Watson, who was an attorney, outdoorsman, conservationist, and gentle soul from the oil fields in East Texas. "Branch water" refers to the perfect complement for bourbon, his favorite libation.
An eloquent description (and one that aptly depicts my father's character) is attributed to Warren Bobrow. All credit due, here is a link to the blog where it was originally published: http://www.wildriverreview.com/ESSAY/wild-table/Bily%20Reid/Warren-Bobrow/Jan-10 "Branch water, I learned is a direct connection to the cultural and culinary definition of Southern drinking heritage. Webster’s Dictionary defines branch water as: 'Pure natural water from a stream or brook; often distinguished from soda water.' I’ve found from my very short time living in the South that somewhere out there in the steamy ancient forests-thick with blood-sucking ticks, leeches and poisonous snakes, (they wear those thick leather leg chaps when walking in the woods for a reason)–lays a Valhalla or holy-grail in “Bourbon-speak.” A pristine spring bubbles up sweet water, pure as the dew that lights up in sunlight shining on the elegantly dripping strands of Spanish moss. Vanilla-tea-colored water rises from the depths-situated directly in front of the roots of the almost mythical in proportion, ancient Southern Live-Oak tree. The sweet water found here is known as branch. It is one of the defining elements of Bourbon understanding, the physical act of discovering for the first time…spring of water bursting from the ground, the essence of purity and grace, danced simply over a glass of the brown liquid. The next act in appreciation of the past is by making a perfect drink with that branch. This physical interaction of adding branch to Bourbon binds hundreds of years of Southern culture and drinking lore." |