Whisky Old Fashioned

[GoldPhoenix]

As legend has it, back in the early 1800's, a French immigrant moved into the USA spreading a new type of liquor mixed drink. The drink was eventually anglicized to "cocktail" from French. The drink involved only four distinct ingredients: Whisky, bitters, citrus, and sugar.

This is the origin of the whisky old fashioned. It is, by definition, the first cocktail ever conceived. It's not a common drink anymore, but given that I'm a whisk(e)y connoisseur, I have a certain respect for the cocktail.

(Actually, cocktail originally referred to this mixed drink, and mixed drink referred to other liquor combinations; but over time, this definition became popular... Probably during the 1950's when people started switching whisky, the previously classic American liquor of choice, with vodka, the current classic.)


Anyways, here's the recipe (I've heard it's as old as the 1890's, but who knows)

Gather:
1. Some good scotch or bourbon.
2. Fresh lemons (some people also use orange, for bourbon).
3. Sugar.
4. Angostura bitters (its cheap and you can find it in any licker store).
5. Ice, the quintessential mixed drink ingredient..

And this is how you make it (it only takes a few moments, I'm going to make another one after I finish typing this out, LOL.. I'm finally getting a chance to celebrate my birthday properly):

In an old fashioned glass or something similar in size:

Take about 3/4-1 ounce of water and mix it with 1-2 tsp of sugar along with ~1/2 tsp of bitters (more is better than less, imo). Take a muddler (or the back end of a knife) and stir it up until the sugar is aqueous. Take a knife and cut the very slice off of the outer later of the lemon (or orange), and try to get as little pith and as much zest as you can, and toss it into the bottom of the glass; muddle it lightly with the sugar water for about 30-40 seconds. Then take some ice cubes and toss them in the glass. Over the top of the ice cubes, pour in 1.5 ounces of your whisky. Stir around.
(Some people use another orange flag and a maraschino cherry stuck through with a tooth pick --but I personally don't. Also, people "top off" this drink with soda water, but that's for people who don't like strong flavor).

Then enjoy.

It's good stuff. I personally like it the best with a good with a light to medium body cigar.

[Dr Gonzo]

Try muddling the rind on top of the ice. A buddy of mine does this with his mojitos (muddling the lime in a tiny bit of simple syrup in 3-4 small cubes of ice) and then pours the rest of the syrup in, and then stirs in the hooch. He swears that this makes them better, but to be honest I have no clue if there's something to that trick or not. All I know is his mojitos are the bomb.

But I've got to ask... use good whiskey? I thought this is something you'd do to nasty whiskey to church it up. I'll tell you one thing - if I get my hands on a bottle of Glenrothes 1973, nothing will go in that glass except, perhaps, two cubes of ice.

[GoldPhoenix]

Yes, good whisky. I'm not talking about 20 year old scotch, but I use 10 year Laphroiag scotch or standard Maker's Mark bourbon. (This is to say, something that you'd enjoy sipping) The recipe that I use was not invented to dilute the flavor of whisky, but make it more complex.

But you're a Glenrothes fan, aren't you? It's not bad, but Laphroiag is king of all scotches, in my opinion. It's so deliciously peaty.

If you want to use crappy whisky, then make a whisky and coke. But I personally don't drink a lot of crappy whisky (and if I do, I shoot it straight --because the only reason to drink crappy whisky is to get drunk, so why prolong the process).

[Loller65]

Lucky guys. I hope to be such a whiskey conessiur like you guys.

[Jamie]

sounds like a whiskey sour. we are having a party in a few weeks. we'll have to try it out.

[TheSparrow]

Lucky guys. I hope to be such a whiskey conessiur like you guys.
Consider scotch as well, but DON'T judge scotch based on some crap like Johnny Walker. Make sure your first try is a decent higher end one. Then you'll be hooked for life.

[Whistlepig]

Alcoholic beverages taste nasty, it seems that people just like the "acquired taste", but there's an awful lot of money involved in drinking just to taste something. I don't see any reason to drink alcohol other than to get drunk. Someone please explain this to me.

[TheSparrow]

Alcoholic beverages taste nasty, it seems that people just like the "acquired taste", but there's an awful lot of money involved in drinking just to taste something. I don't see any reason to drink alcohol other than to get drunk. Someone please explain this to me.
"Drunk" is at the far end of the scale. I have 1 drink a day after work.
I have my scotch, then I have supper.
Some alcohol can taste a little nasty, but you soon associate the pleasant afterglow with the taste, then it becomes less nasty.
Lastly, if I want to have a drink after work, why not make it the best tasting drink that I am willing to afford. Its all about a pleasurable experience.

[Loller65]

I had a spoonful of cognac once. Bloody awful stuff. Hopefully I'll have a better pallet for that kind of thing some day...

[GoldPhoenix]

sounds like a whiskey sour. we are having a party in a few weeks. we'll have to try it out.

Whiskey sours are good, I'm a fan, but this isn't quite like a whiskey sour. But I guess similar, in that it's a whisky drink, which tend to be quite distinctive.



Consider scotch as well, but DON'T judge scotch based on some crap like Johnny Walker. Make sure your first try is a decent higher end one. Then you'll be hooked for life.

Scotch is whisky, Spotty. =P If you're a whisky connoisseur, then you're going to be a big scotch fan.



Alcoholic beverages taste nasty, it seems that people just like the "acquired taste", but there's an awful lot of money involved in drinking just to taste something. I don't see any reason to drink alcohol other than to get drunk. Someone please explain this to me.

All food is an acquired taste. But getting used to good licker is not a hard thing, so long as you have a taste for complex things.



"Drunk" is at the far end of the scale. I have 1 drink a day after work.
I have my scotch, then I have supper.
Some alcohol can taste a little nasty, but you soon associate the pleasant afterglow with the taste, then it becomes less nasty.
Lastly, if I want to have a drink after work, why not make it the best tasting drink that I am willing to afford. Its all about a pleasurable experience.

QFT, seriously. I have a glass of scotch on most nights, if not a glass of bourbon or Irish. It just makes the evening a little more pleasant.



I had a spoonful of cognac once. Bloody awful stuff. Hopefully I'll have a better pallet for that kind of thing some day...

I like brandy. It's not as good as scotch in my opinion, but it is quite good.

(Again, as long as you have a decent brandy)

[Epic]

I have to say that I'm still at the age where most of the drinking I do is for the purpose of getting drunk, so I haven't gotten a lot of experience with "appreciating" the taste. Although, at my cottage this summer I did have a fair amount of Alberta Premium in the style of "appreciating" its flavour and I will say that it was quite nice after a long day in the sun. Oh, and the only drinks I mix are lighter ones like kahlua in my coffee or tea or the occaisonal vodka screwdriver.


Epic

[Rogue Cardinal]

I'll tell you one thing - if I get my hands on a bottle of Glenrothes 1973, nothing will go in that glass except, perhaps, two cubes of ice.

Back Satan!!! Ice in Scotch!!! Inconceivable!!! Only a wee dram o water!!!

[Dr Gonzo]

Back Satan!!! Ice in Scotch!!! Inconceivable!!! Only a wee dram o water!!!

I said no more than two cubes, and that's in a glass measured by the hand, not the finger.

A Dram is actually a pretty significant amount. In a Dram of scotch, you better not put a dram of water in it. Maybe a drop.

[GoldPhoenix]

I said no more than two cubes, and that's in a glass measured by the hand, not the finger.

A Dram is actually a pretty significant amount. In a Dram of scotch, you better not put a dram of water in it. Maybe a drop.


I disagree strongly. You should definitely cut your scotch with more than a drop --otherwise, there's almost no point. The water brings out the flavor. You're looking for just enough water to bring it all out, but anywhere near enough to dilute the scotch.

I'd say for a shot, you're looking at about 1/5 of an ounce of water to bring out the full flavor.

[Aspoestertjie]

I grew up with my dad being an alcoholic. He drink something that you call 'brandewyn'. Now apparently there is a difference between whiskey and brandewyn, but I don't care what it is.

I don't care for an expensive drink. I will toss it out into the drain any day. There is probably nothing I hate more than alcohol.

I simply can't understand why anybody would like to drink.

Maybe like Spotty is taking it, it will be fine. But what fun is there in drinking yourself motherless and not even being able to remember anything you did or said?

With that said, GP, what on earth is an Angostura Bitter? I am sure you don't even get things like that around here.

[Rogue Cardinal]

I disagree strongly. You should definitely cut your scotch with more than a drop --otherwise, there's almost no point. The water brings out the flavor. You're looking for just enough water to bring it all out, but anywhere near enough to dilute the scotch.

I'd say for a shot, you're looking at about 1/5 of an ounce of water to bring out the full flavor.

Fact.

I was using silly talk with the "WEE (<---operative word) dram of water.

The point being you REALLY need to put the water in to fully enjoy the Scotch. TO ME....and a lot of scotch drinkers....ice RUINS it.

[Dr Gonzo]

I like the ice in it to draw the straight whiskey past as I sip, basically sipping around the cube. I use two because I like to slowly sip, and I like my scotch to have that cold bite to it... but still full flavored.