Bourbon Balls were invented by Ruth Booe of Rebecca Ruth Candy Company. Ruth invented the confection in Frankfort Kentucky after a dignitary at Frankfort's sesquicentennial in 1936 commented that the two best tastes in the world were Kentucky Bourbon and Miss Booe's candy. They were being served Ruth's Mint Kentucky Colonel confection at the time of the comment. The recipe for the original Bourbon Ball is still a secret and can be ordered from the company that was founded in 1919. The basic ingredients include dark chocolate, Kentucky bourbon, and sugar. The center is considered to be a "creme" from a confectionery identification as opposed to a liquid or truffle center. A historical marker placed by the Kentucky Historical Society commemorating the invention of Bourbon Balls is located in front of the store at 112 East Second Street.
Home versions of Bourbon Balls are also very popular. Nearly everyone in Kentucky and many throughout the South have variations of these that are made in the home. Above posted by Charles Booe - grandson of Ruth Booe.
A Bourbon ball is the name for two different forms of bite-size confections incorporating bourbon as a key ingredient.
The most common variation for home cooks is regional to the southern United States and incorporates crushed cookies, corn syrup, chopped pecans, and bourbon into a mixture that is formed into balls and coated in powdered sugar to prevent the evaporation of the alcohol. Once molded they are aged for up to a week, in a sealed container in a cool dark place, before serving . They will keep for up to a month before becoming too friable to pick up in one piece as the evaporation process desiccates the packed structure of the cookie.
Another variation has a similar filling, but with a chocolate exterior. The filling can also be similar to a truffle or a cherry cordial, with bourbon added, of course.
Using other types of alcohol one can make rum balls, flavored vodka balls or liqueur balls.