Just made this one with Hendricks gin. Pretty good, except the Maraschino liqueur was just slightly overpowering, as it usually tends to be in most cocktails I use it in. As the drink as been sitting for a little while, and the crushed ice has had a chance to melt some more, I notice the Maraschino flavor isn't quite as pronounced. The flaming effect is fun!
Thanks Robert, gonna have to try this one out for the next party! Did he tell you how to mix up that rum old fashioned? Wasn't sure if it would be the same as a bourbon old fashioned, just with rum instead, or would certain ingredients differ?
Instead of twisting the orange peel over top of the drink, I muddle a quarter+ size piece of orange zest into the sugar/water/bitters solution, before adding the ice. I wonder which way would give better orange flavor, or if it makes a difference at all?
This looks good. I totally agree about the club soda, and not muddling in the cherry. Yours is very similar to Chris McMillan's. He uses a sugar cube, saturates it with bitters, splashes in a little water and muddles into solution. Then he takes an orange zest, about the size of quarter, maybe a little larger, and muddles that into the sugar/bitters solution. Fill glass with ice and add two oz bourbon. Give a little stir and garnish with half an orange wheel and a cherry. Simply divine!
Robert, that's awesome that you inspired Chris!
Nik, yes, be careful... I was making these at a party the other night and that's exactly what happened!
When I make these, I like to let my guest get a sniff every step of the way. First, the bitters muddled into solution, next the orange zest added, and finally combined with the bourbon. An aroma no one can resist!
Robert, I've read that you often use the Old Fashioned as a sort of a litmus test for the worthiness of a new bartender. So, what if it comes back full of club soda? What if they don't know how to make it at all, as is often the case? Do you automatically dismiss that bartender and take your business elsewhere?
It seems to me, one of the major factors in ruining an Old Fashioned is topping it off with all that soda water. I will say that back in "bartending school", that's how I was taught to make them, along with muddling in all the garbage. That's the method I used when I first started out. I remember an older guy ordered one from me once and he was just impressed that I used bitters. Never any complaints though.
It wasn't until I caught Chris McMillian's YouTube videos and later your articles and videos, that it finally dawned on me.. THIS is how you make a cocktail! No more bar mix, no more sweet and sour, no more watering down with club soda as filler.
So back to the the club soda in an OF. Would you ever just tell the bartender "NO SODA WATER" before they start making your drink? Because if you take out the soda, even if they muddle in the cherry and orange slice, it would still pass an acceptable drink.
Great videos, Jamie. I have to know, where can I get one of those stainless steal jiggers that you use? I have one exactly like it from OXO, but it's clear plastic. Thanks!
Just mixed up the version in Beachbum Berry's Remixed, which claims to be Joe Scialom's original 1942 recipe, printed for the first time:
1 oz gin
1 oz brandy
1/2 oz Rose's lime
2 dashes Angostura
4 oz ginger beer
Shake everything except ginger beer with ice. Stir in ginger beer and pour unstrained into double old-fashioned glass. Orange slice and mint sprig garnish.
I was skeptical about the Rose's lime juice, but it turned out great! Really nice balance.
Why such a small glass? I prefer a larger rocks style or Old Fashioned type glass. This way, the rye mixture fills up maybe a third of the glass and doesn't rinse away the absinthe coating, allowing you to inhale that stuff with every sip. Try it!
Haha!! It is a cool glass! Seriously though, I think the absinthe aroma with each sip adds an extra dimension to this drink that makes it truly unique.
Don't know if it's what contributed to the thinking that you're supposed ignite your drink, but you can see Johnny Depp flame his Absinthe in the 2001 movie From Hell.
Any updates on a good brand of authentic, legal Absinthe, available in American liquor stores?
Thank you Robert. I've been wanting to get a bottle of this stuff for the past decade. I ordered a bottle several years ago, but it didn't make it through customs, so I sort of gave up on it for a while.
I was a little leery of the new stuff hitting the shelves because of the lack of thujone, which is what I believed made the Absinthe unique. Now I know better, thanks to you.
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Looks good! Flamed orange peel also works well in this one.
Beautiful. I've got some sherry sitting in the fridge, doing nothing. Could I use that in place of the Lillet and maybe skip the simple syrup?
Just made this one with Hendricks gin. Pretty good, except the Maraschino liqueur was just slightly overpowering, as it usually tends to be in most cocktails I use it in. As the drink as been sitting for a little while, and the crushed ice has had a chance to melt some more, I notice the Maraschino flavor isn't quite as pronounced. The flaming effect is fun!
Thanks Robert, gonna have to try this one out for the next party! Did he tell you how to mix up that rum old fashioned? Wasn't sure if it would be the same as a bourbon old fashioned, just with rum instead, or would certain ingredients differ?
Instead of twisting the orange peel over top of the drink, I muddle a quarter+ size piece of orange zest into the sugar/water/bitters solution, before adding the ice. I wonder which way would give better orange flavor, or if it makes a difference at all?
Does this ratio work with dry vermouth as well?
Who is this beardless impostor!? Finally a new one, I've been waiting forever! What brand of grenadine do you use?
This looks good. I totally agree about the club soda, and not muddling in the cherry. Yours is very similar to Chris McMillan's. He uses a sugar cube, saturates it with bitters, splashes in a little water and muddles into solution. Then he takes an orange zest, about the size of quarter, maybe a little larger, and muddles that into the sugar/bitters solution. Fill glass with ice and add two oz bourbon. Give a little stir and garnish with half an orange wheel and a cherry. Simply divine!
Robert, that's awesome that you inspired Chris! Nik, yes, be careful... I was making these at a party the other night and that's exactly what happened! When I make these, I like to let my guest get a sniff every step of the way. First, the bitters muddled into solution, next the orange zest added, and finally combined with the bourbon. An aroma no one can resist!
Robert, I've read that you often use the Old Fashioned as a sort of a litmus test for the worthiness of a new bartender. So, what if it comes back full of club soda? What if they don't know how to make it at all, as is often the case? Do you automatically dismiss that bartender and take your business elsewhere?
It seems to me, one of the major factors in ruining an Old Fashioned is topping it off with all that soda water. I will say that back in "bartending school", that's how I was taught to make them, along with muddling in all the garbage. That's the method I used when I first started out. I remember an older guy ordered one from me once and he was just impressed that I used bitters. Never any complaints though. It wasn't until I caught Chris McMillian's YouTube videos and later your articles and videos, that it finally dawned on me.. THIS is how you make a cocktail! No more bar mix, no more sweet and sour, no more watering down with club soda as filler. So back to the the club soda in an OF. Would you ever just tell the bartender "NO SODA WATER" before they start making your drink? Because if you take out the soda, even if they muddle in the cherry and orange slice, it would still pass an acceptable drink.
Ha! That's been my experience as well!
Great videos, Jamie. I have to know, where can I get one of those stainless steal jiggers that you use? I have one exactly like it from OXO, but it's clear plastic. Thanks!
Just mixed up the version in Beachbum Berry's Remixed, which claims to be Joe Scialom's original 1942 recipe, printed for the first time: 1 oz gin 1 oz brandy 1/2 oz Rose's lime 2 dashes Angostura 4 oz ginger beer Shake everything except ginger beer with ice. Stir in ginger beer and pour unstrained into double old-fashioned glass. Orange slice and mint sprig garnish. I was skeptical about the Rose's lime juice, but it turned out great! Really nice balance.
Why such a small glass? I prefer a larger rocks style or Old Fashioned type glass. This way, the rye mixture fills up maybe a third of the glass and doesn't rinse away the absinthe coating, allowing you to inhale that stuff with every sip. Try it!
Haha!! It is a cool glass! Seriously though, I think the absinthe aroma with each sip adds an extra dimension to this drink that makes it truly unique.
Don't know if it's what contributed to the thinking that you're supposed ignite your drink, but you can see Johnny Depp flame his Absinthe in the 2001 movie From Hell. Any updates on a good brand of authentic, legal Absinthe, available in American liquor stores?
Thank you Robert. I've been wanting to get a bottle of this stuff for the past decade. I ordered a bottle several years ago, but it didn't make it through customs, so I sort of gave up on it for a while. I was a little leery of the new stuff hitting the shelves because of the lack of thujone, which is what I believed made the Absinthe unique. Now I know better, thanks to you.