Nasty Old Fashioned!

[BrianBradford]

This weekend the wife and I went to Applebees. I ordered an old fashioned. The waitress looked at me as if to say "what the hell is that?". I said its a bourbon drink. She said ok and soon after brought something that looked like a glass of ice water with a drop of bourbon in it. It tasted how it looked. I was rather disappointed.

[Josh]

Yet another sad story of dumb bartenders. I ordered an old fashioned at a bar once and the bartender asked me if I wanted a real one or not. Apparently most of the bartenders there made an Old Fashioned by pouring a little JBW over ice and then filling the glass with 7-Up. :puke:

If you had ordered an appletini, I'm sure it would have been perfect!

[imbibehour]

This is a drink i NEVER order when I go out... I only make my own.

[SBOmarc]

This weekend the wife and I went to Applebees. I ordered an old fashioned. The waitress looked at me as if to say "what the hell is that?". I said its a bourbon drink. She said ok and soon after brought something that looked like a glass of ice water with a drop of bourbon in it. It tasted how it looked. I was rather disappointed.

Brian, going to Applebee's and ordering that drink shows true guts. Just Not very smart. Let me suggest that you do what I have done from time to time.

Upon ordering I proceed to the bar and wait, watch and 90% of the time I teach the bar person what to do. No, we shouldn't have to, but the alternative is not an option.

[pepcycle]

I've had interesting versions of Old Fashioneds as well.

Some Good, but most weak, underbittered and oversweetened.

The worst crime is topping off with Soda. This is almost universal and seems to be a result of the "Glass looks empty" syndrome.

The second crime is macerating the fruit into oblivion to create a murky "sour" looking concoction

Last but not least is the impatience of muddling sugar and bitters . C'mon. If you're that lazy, use simple syrup or make a sweetened bitters mix ahead of time.

I got served a Whiskey and bitters, not bourbon, on the rocks. When I asked if this was supppose to be an old fashioned and they added a cherry. Done.

This could be the most abused cocktail.

Some great ones are made in Lexington, KY. The Gratz Park Inn. Perfect.

[BrianBradford]

All I can do to imagine what they have done to it was maybe put 1/2 oz. of canadian whiskey, followed by a teaspoon of sugar, topped off with tap water. Thats pretty much what it tasted like.

[imbibehour]

as far as I am concerned, without pimping my own old fashioned vid, here...

is all you need to know..

[dmarkle]

as far as I am concerned, without pimping my own old fashioned vid, here...

is all you need to know..

That's funny. I'm sure that's how they made it at Appleby's!

[imbibehour]

That's funny. I'm sure that's how they made it at Appleby's!

highly... doubt it. <internet sarcasm>

[doubleblank]

If you want a pretty good Old Fashioned, go to Delilah's. But not on just any night.....go the night Julian and Preston are there during WhiskeyFest Chicago. They get behind the bar and make them as follows, IIRC.

Place paper napkin over glass. Place sugar cube on napkin and saturate cube with bitters (the napkin soaks up any excess). Drop cube into glass, add orange and lightly muddle. Add ice, whiskey and cherry. Stir. Drink. Repeat.

Randy

[SBOmarc]

Like all good cocktails, a very simple recipe that provides great results.

[BrianBradford]

Maybe im an idiot, but the last time I muddled something, I was picking bits of a mint leaf out of my teeth for days. Muddled too much?

[sku]

Maybe im an idiot, but the last time I muddled something, I was picking bits of a mint leaf out of my teeth for days. Muddled too much?

Way too much. For mint, as for a julep, you just need to very lightly push the muddler against it to bring out the flavor and aroma. If you pulvarize it, not only will you be picking it out of your teeth, but you can bring out some bitterness as well.

[BrianBradford]

Well that makes sense now. When someone told me to muddle it, I figured it was to break the leaf down so it would mix with the drink. oh geeze.

[ratcheer]

Way too much. For mint, as for a julep, you just need to very lightly push the muddler against it to bring out the flavor and aroma. If you pulvarize it, not only will you be picking it out of your teeth, but you can bring out some bitterness as well.

I had a mojito at one of those street bars on the Miami South Beach, once. It was excellent except for one thing. It had so much pulverised mint leaves, it was almost like eating a salad.

Well, it was so good that I had several of them and a nasty hangover, the next day.

Tim

[pepcycle]

The object in a julep is to bruise the mint, not puree it.

I've taken to making a bouquet garni with mint and dipping in a glass of bourbon repeatedly, then wringing it out like a teabag. No mashing, mucddling frappe'ing, pureeing etc.

I then add the glass back to make 750ml of bourbon in a litre bottle. QS with simple syrpu to about 900mls.

Refrigerate overnight. This is sort of the Maker's formula.

[pepcycle]

Old Fashioned Shortcut for the hopelessly impatient

Put sugar cube, bitters and three drops of water in bottom of mixing glass.

Microwave 10 seconds.

Proceed.

Heat releases aromatics from bitters, sugar becomes simple syrup and dissolves instantly.

[imbibehour]

mint... gentle.... gentle with that baby.. no pulverizing...

mint is your friend...

[BrianBradford]

Ok, stay with me....

I went out and found a small bottle of bitters so I could try to make my own Old Fashioned. When I got home I realized I still was missing 3 crucial ingrediants. Oranges, Cherries, and Club Soda. I thaught, eh, i'll just find what I have around the house and use it and see how bad it is. Oh boy. I used this "poor mans" old fashioned recipe...

1 teaspoon sugar

Few shakes of Angostura bitters

2 or 3 tablespoons club soda

1 maraschino cherry and a little of its cherry juice

1/4 unpeeled orange, divided into 2 pieces

2oz.bourbon

ice cubes

How to make it

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Add sugar to old fashioned glass.

Shake in the angostura bitters.

Add the club soda.

Mix well with spoon.

Add cherry and juice.

Squeeze 1 orange piece into glass.

Discard peel.

Squeeze second orange piece into glass and drop squeezed

orange into the glass.

Add Bourbon

Stir and add ice cubes.

This is what I did....

1 teaspoon of sugar

few dashes of bitters

3 tablespoons of bottled water (not carbonated)

A small amount of cherry lemonade

1 tablespoon of roses lime juice

2 oz. of Evan Williams black

Added ice.

Its not undrinkable, but it puts me in this determined mood to make my own version of this drink I crave.

I appologize to the purists that hate when an old recipe gets altered. I am merely customizing a classic to suit my adolescent taste. And working with a small budget and a poorly stocked bar.

[imbibehour]

I appologize to the purists that hate when an old recipe gets altered. I am merely customizing a classic to suit my adolescent taste. And working with a small budget and a poorly stocked bar.

no apology needed.

One of the funny things I read about of this drink and it's history as Ted Haigh (Dr. Cocktail), has mentioned:

"This is a drink that causes a lot fights among many people."

If you like it that way, it's yours enjoy, nobody here is to tell you you're

wrong.

I dig McMillan's version ... a lot. Sometimes I'll throw in a hard core cherry.

[Dramiel McHinson]

Place paper napkin over glass. Place sugar cube on napkin and saturate cube with bitters (the napkin soaks up any excess). Drop cube into glass, add orange and lightly muddle. Add ice, whiskey and cherry. Stir. Drink. Repeat.

Randy

[imbibehour]

OMG! That's pure Bourbon-porn:bigeyes:

[squire]

The only cocktail I order in a restaurant is vodka on the rocks because they can't screw it up.

[ratcheer]

I just made a simple Old Fashioned and it is quite good.

In an on-the-rocks glass, I measured a teaspoon of sugar. Then I added enough tap water (probably about 2 teaspoons) to dissolve the sugar. Next I added several dashes of Angostura bitters, then about 1 1/2 oz Seagram's 7, and finally 6 ice cubes. Ummmm....

Tim

[squire]

I should dust off my Old Fashioned formula that is based on orange juice, Fee Bros bitters, grenadine and whisky of choice.