The Old-Fashioned

Good Evening to you, Thirsty Readers. Tonight I have for you a classic cocktail, The Old-Fashioned. It is a simple cocktail, but one that many (alas, far too many) bartenders do not know how to make well. Often when I order one at a bar - and I've learned to be very specific when I do - I get a cloyingly sweet concoction that bears no resemblance to what I think an old-fashioned should be.

The old-fashioned embodies what the original "cocktail" was - spirits, bitters, sugar and water, essentially. You can make this drink with bourbon or rye. I made two tonight. One with Bourbon for my taster and the other with rye for me, because I prefer it. That's why.

What made tonight's cocktail special was the addition of (drum roll please) a HOUSE MADE cocktail cherry! It is a bit of a bastardization to add a cherry, perhaps, but if you tasted one of these ethereal, amazing, addictive little spheres of cherry heaven, you'd want to add them to everything, too. I don't even mind that my fingers are stained with cherry juice or that my elbow aches from pitting 18 pounds of cherries over the weekend. My pantry is filled with pint jars of these beautiful boozy gems and it was worth it.

Here is a photo of the cherries.

There's still time to be super nice to me so you get on my Christmas gift list...

I will, at some point, publish the recipe I used. I adapted it from Jeffrey Morgenthaler's The Bar Book.  But tonight, I am eager for an early bedtime so that I can snug in with my new book. I know. I lead a crazy wild life.

But, back to the drink.  I take some tiny liberties with the erudite BT Parson's basic old-fashioned recipe in his Bitters book. I prefer to muddle some orange peel with simple syrup and bitters before adding the spirit. I like a fruit accent in this drink. I also cut back the amount of syrup by a bit. You don't have to, of course.

Here is the drink.

The Old-Fashioned Cocktail

2 ounces rye or bourbon

1/8 ounce simple syrup (or 1/4 ounce, if you insist) 

3 dashes Angostura bitters 

Thick piece of orange zest (and an extra one for garnish, if you like)

House made cherries for garnish (optional)

In a mixing glass, muddle the orange zest with the simple syrup and bitters. Add ice and rye. Mix until well chilled. Pour into a chilled old-fashioned glass filled with large pieces of cracked ice or a large ice cube. Garnish with the second orange zest and a house made cherry if you are lucky enough to have one.

Sip and enjoy.  

Cheers!