Robert,
I have come to rely on your show as the go to source for reliable cocktail recipe videos on the net. I am especially fond of this episode because my experience with the Old Fashioned was virtually identical to yours. I didn't know anything about cocktails, when I discovered a mysterious bottle in the back of my cupboard that my brother had left behind: Angostura bitters. On the bottle, of course, is the recipe for an Old-Fashioned. Being a lover of bourbon, I decided to try it. I didn't have any soda or cherries, so I made one very similar to the one you prescribe here, and I loved it! It instantly became my favorite thing to drink. But after ordering them at bars, I realized there was something very different and special about a properly-made Old-Fashioned.
Thanks for a great series!
Will
p.s. How do I use kumquats besides as a garnish? I have seen recipes calling for muddled kumquats, but they suffer from the same maraschino cherry carcase dilemma. They are just extra material in the bottom of the glass.
I would also mention that I have found it very important to get high quality oranges for this drink. I used to get regular navel oranges at the big box supermarket, but then found they had a slightly bitter, chemical taste to them. After buying organic oranges at the health food store, I learned that the peels of these oranges had a much richer and more natural tasting essence. I wonder if the regular oranges have some sort of chemical/preservative/pesticide applied to them that gives them this bitter flavor? In any case, now I always get organic citrus fruits for all of my drinks.
Robert,
I really appreicate your review of different kinds of bitters here, as bitters are such a misunderstood product. After experimenting and reading around, I thought I might put in a request for a similar episode featuring the also highly misunderstood vermouth! Sweet, dry, bianco, rosso, ambre, M&R, Cinzano, Carpano, Vya. So much variety with so few informative resources describing their relative merits and distinctions. My vote for the next episode of the Cocktail Spirit would be one all about vermouth.
Will
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Robert, I have come to rely on your show as the go to source for reliable cocktail recipe videos on the net. I am especially fond of this episode because my experience with the Old Fashioned was virtually identical to yours. I didn't know anything about cocktails, when I discovered a mysterious bottle in the back of my cupboard that my brother had left behind: Angostura bitters. On the bottle, of course, is the recipe for an Old-Fashioned. Being a lover of bourbon, I decided to try it. I didn't have any soda or cherries, so I made one very similar to the one you prescribe here, and I loved it! It instantly became my favorite thing to drink. But after ordering them at bars, I realized there was something very different and special about a properly-made Old-Fashioned. Thanks for a great series! Will p.s. How do I use kumquats besides as a garnish? I have seen recipes calling for muddled kumquats, but they suffer from the same maraschino cherry carcase dilemma. They are just extra material in the bottom of the glass.
I would also mention that I have found it very important to get high quality oranges for this drink. I used to get regular navel oranges at the big box supermarket, but then found they had a slightly bitter, chemical taste to them. After buying organic oranges at the health food store, I learned that the peels of these oranges had a much richer and more natural tasting essence. I wonder if the regular oranges have some sort of chemical/preservative/pesticide applied to them that gives them this bitter flavor? In any case, now I always get organic citrus fruits for all of my drinks.
Robert, I really appreicate your review of different kinds of bitters here, as bitters are such a misunderstood product. After experimenting and reading around, I thought I might put in a request for a similar episode featuring the also highly misunderstood vermouth! Sweet, dry, bianco, rosso, ambre, M&R, Cinzano, Carpano, Vya. So much variety with so few informative resources describing their relative merits and distinctions. My vote for the next episode of the Cocktail Spirit would be one all about vermouth. Will