Just An Old Fashioned Cocktail

With the current cocktail revolution taking place in North Texas, even and even an old standby like the Old Fashioned takes on new flavors.  Local mixologists are stirring up tradition, and creating tasty treats along the way. Not every great bartender left town for the week to enjoy Tales of the Cocktail.      

Stephanie Foo of Kenny’s Smoke House uses the restaurant’s house-smoked bourbon to add a smoky tang to their Old Fashioned.  Foo’s recipe is simple to make!

Smokehouse Old Fashioned

Muddle one orange wedge and two cherries with an ounce of simple syrup and a dash of bitters. 

Add 2 oz of 10-day house smoked Bourbon.

Add ice, top with soda and roll it.

 

III Forks, one of the city’s premium steakhouses, does an Old Fashioned Ghost with Jacob’s Ghost White Whiskey!

 

Old Fashioned Ghost

 

In a rocks glass, muddle:

1 orange wedge

1 Diana White Cherry

1 sugar cube

3 shakes Angostura Bitters

Add 3 large ice cubes and 2 oz. Jacob’s Ghost Whiskey

Stir about 20 times, then strain into another rocks glass over fresh ice.

Top with 1/2 oz Soda

Garnish with 1 Diana White Cherry and an orange twist

 

Bob Stephenson’s team at FnG Eats made cocktail creation a field trip which yielded some pretty aggressive bragging rights.

“This is why we call it the ‘Best Damn Old Fashioned,’” says Stephenson.  “After taking the FnG Eats bartenders in a rented 15 passenger van on the “Shake Muddle & Pour Tour” of Dallas bars known for their hand crafted cocktails, we could not find an Old Fashioned that could match ours.  Once this bourbon infusion is done, we run it through our Cobra Chiller system to chill the bourbon to 16 degrees.  This allows us to use less ice to chill, bruise and dilute the cocktail. There is a little prep work.”

The Best Damn Old Fashioned

 Prep:

 1) Infuse one Bottle of 1 liter Buffalo Trace Bourbon with 1/2 pound of dry Bing cherries and 2 split in half  Madagascar Vanilla Beans:  4 days minimum.  Strain the Bourbon through a fine sieve.  Lightly press the cherries to release the liquid absorbed.  We reserve these cherries for Bourbon Cherry Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding and Bourbon Cherry Jam for our Turducken Sliders.

 2) Simple Syrup: if you can’t buy it, simply (no pun intended) whip equal parts of water and sugar together in a stock pot on the stove over medium high heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until it is lightly golden to make the syrup.  Chill to room temp for use.  It will last for a week in the refrigerator

 

Cocktail Recipe:

 combine on the rocks-

 1 oz      Ri Whiskey (this is the brand name Ri)

 1 oz      Buffalo Trace Cherry Vanilla Infused Bourbon

 1/2 oz  Simple Syrup

 5 drops Angostura Bitters

 3 drops Rhubarb Bitters

 Stir the beverage 20 times to incorporate.  Garnish with 2 Maraschino Cherries (no stems) and one flame torched orange rind. 

Whether you like them traditional or over the top, for many bar fans, nothing tops an Old Fashioned for summertime refreshment.