Proper drinks for decent whiskey

Be it whiskey, whisky or scotch, this is the place.

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Bill Gorton
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Tue Oct 30, 2007 10:24 pm

One of great tragedies of our age is the seeming demise of the cocktail. This once venerated tradition has fallen to the wayside of girly drinks and the odious trend of trendy high-end liquors that haven't been in production longer than the last time a Democrat was in the White House.

Yet there are proper drinks to be made with proper alcohol. Good whiskey is a pleasure in and of itself but it can be made sublime with the right ingredients allied with careful and judicious mixing of other ingredients. Finding a bartender with the knowledge of these concoctions and a deft skill at making them is a true revelation and a boon to be treasured.

To begin our discussion of this proud and wonderful tradition I will espouse upon one of my favorites - the Old Fashioned. (Much of this is culled from my cooking website, kleph's kitchen .)

The Old Fashioned is most venerable and stately of the pre-dinner drinks. It is a slightly sweet but smooth repast which warms the soul, cheers the demeanor and starts a refined evening off in the proper manner befitting civilized folk.

There are two keys to making a proper Old Fashioned. The first is to use rye whiskey and not bourbon. The sweetness of Bourbon - which is its strength in a drink like a Mint Juliep - can overpower the Old Fashioned. Using Rye creates a smoother more stately drink that prepares the palette for a good meal.

The second is to muddle. Don't just toss the fruit in and add the rest of the ingredients on top - muddle them, preferably with a proper muddler (the end of a wooden spatula will do in a pinch). This means mash the sugar and fruit until they are almost a paste. If you can recognize the fruit when you serve the drink - you have failed.

Although it is not traditional, I like to put a twist of lemon peel in the drink at the very end as well. It creates a nice citrus punch as you first taste the drink that is carried through when you finish it.

Ingredients
  • 2 oz rye whiskey
    2 dashes Angostura bitters
    1 splash water
    1 tsp sugar
    1 maraschino cherry
    1 orange wedge
Instructions
Mix sugar, water and angostura bitters in an old-fashioned glass. Drop in a cherry and an orange wedge. Muddle into a paste using a muddler or the back end of a spoon. Pour in rye, fill with ice cubes, and stir.
"Never be daunted. Secret of my success. Never been daunted. Never been daunted in public."

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AngelSword
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Wed Nov 07, 2007 8:10 pm

There is a great article on Drinkboy.com about the Old Fashioned that provides some interesting insight. http://www.drinkboy.com/Essays/Renewing ... shion.html

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Count Silvio
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Thu Nov 08, 2007 4:01 pm

I've never had rye whiskey. Can you recommend a good one? Also if one were to use bourbon for this recipe, which bourbon would you recommend?
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AngelSword
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Thu Nov 08, 2007 4:42 pm

Old Potrero is a superb rye! This is something new from the Anchor Steam Beer people in San Francisco.
For bourbon, Buffalo Creek is great but may be too richly flavored for this recipe.
I would look at Berheim Wheat Whiskey or Forty Creek Canadian for the subtleties that would do well in this cocktail.

Last night I made a couple of Old Fashions using Neisson Reserve Rhum, which came out very nice.

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paulipbartender
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Thu Nov 15, 2007 1:16 pm

Count Silvio wrote:I've never had rye whiskey. Can you recommend a good one? Also if one were to use bourbon for this recipe, which bourbon would you recommend?
Sazerac is my favourite straight rye whiskey, or for a somewhat mellower bourbon, you could try Woodford Reserve which has quite a high rye content.

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paulipbartender
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Thu Nov 15, 2007 1:21 pm

My particular fave bourbon drink is the Manhattan

The Manhattan

The origin of the Manhattan is surprisingly undisputed. There are two generally agreed-upon versions of its creation, both of which are tied to New York’s Manhattan Club. The earliest reportedly occurred at a celebration for William J. Tilden’s electoral win as state governor in 1874. Winston Churchill’s American mother hosted the party, and a forgotten bartender invented the Manhattan, naming the drink after the club.
The other tale credits Supreme Court Justice Charles Henry Truax with instigating the drink’s creation several years later. According to The Dictionary of American Food and Drink, Mr. Truax asked a Manhattan Club bartender to mix him up a new drink because his doctor told him to stop imbibing Martinis if he wanted to lose weight.

Sweet Manhattan
Glassware Cocktail
Method Stir
Ingredients
50ml rye whiskey or bourbon
25ml sweet vermouth
1 dash of angostura bitters
Garnish Maraschino cherry in glass

Dry Manhattan
Glassware Cocktail
Method Stir
Ingredients
50ml Rye whiskey or bourbon
25ml dry vermouth
1 dash of angostura bitters
Garnish Lemon zest


Perfect Manhattan
Glassware Cocktail
Method Stir
Ingredients
50ml rye whiskey or bourbon
12.5ml sweet vermouth 12.5ml dry vermouth
Garnish Lemon twist/maraschino cherry

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tiare
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Fri Apr 18, 2008 9:58 pm

My fav Bourbon drink is Port Light:

1 oz Bourbon
2 oz Passionfruit juice
0.5 oz Lemon juice
0.5 oz Grenadine

Shaken, strained and served in a glass filled with crushed ice.
Maraschino cherry for garnish.

And here is Trader Vics original Port Light Cocktail:

In a blender with one scoop shave ice:

2 tsp Honey
1 oz Lemon juice
!/2 oz Mynor´s Passion Fruit nectar
1 egg white
2 oz Bourbon

Blend and pour into Port Light glass or a red tumbler with cracked ice. granish with fresh mint.

Same drink with Scotch instead of Bourbon is called Starboard Light
A Mai Tai a day...

Epor
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Fri Jul 25, 2008 10:38 pm

paulipbartender wrote:My particular fave bourbon drink is the Manhattan
Rob Roy is also good, like a Manhattan except scotch as the whiskey. Beautiful drinks both, though like the Martini, they demand a certain atmosphere so as not to feel contrived.

JaRiMi
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Tue Jul 29, 2008 5:30 pm

From the title of this chain, I am not certain if talking of cocktails made of malt whisky also applies, but the Smoky martini is an absolute favorite of mine.

- 4cl of Dry Gin (for a change, try Plymouth gin instead of London dry style)
- 1 cl or .5 cl of Islay whisky, Laphroaig is often suggested
- 1.5 cl Dry French vermouth Noilly Prat (Italian is often used, the french option is so much better)
- Lemon twist for garnish

Always STIRRED; not shaken (buggering James Bond...grrr).

Lovely, and distinguished.

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