The Whiskey Cobra

The next treat I have for your caroling consumption is similar to an Old Fashioned but not as sweet. It grows on your palate as the flavors blend and the oils seep from the orange peel, the last sip will be the best and leave you wanting more.

The Whiskey Cobra is another recent revelation originating in 2007at the Cambon Bar. The Cambon Bar resides near the back door of the Ritz in Paris. As mentioned earlier, I spent some time enjoying the cocktails of the Bar Hemingway recently, and Colin Field introduced this drink to me. It is named after the Bell 209/AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter.

Start by carefully peeling a mandarin orange so that the peel resembles a cobra. I find it easiest to start by cutting around the end of the orange in a circle, but stopping before finishing the circle and then peeling around the orange to create the body and tail. Place the peel in the glass tail first so that the head protrudes above the age of rim of the glass. Squeeze the juice of the orange into the glass; add four drops of Angostura bitters. Fill the glass half full of bourbon, I suggest Marker's Mark, and stir. Fill the glass with ice and serve with the cobra facing outward.

Whiskey Cobra

3 oz bourbon

4 drops bitters

1 mandarin orange

Peel the orange in the shape of a cobra, place in an empty old fashioned glass tail first. Add the juice of the orange, the bitter and bourbon. Stir well and fill with ice.

Maple Old Fashioned

For your holiday drinking pleasure I have a nice variation on one of the all time classics. While I am typically against altering the perfection that is an Old Fashioned, the slight hint of maple in this recipe makes it a perfect accompaniment to all of your favorite Thanksgiving dishes. It would probably go great with pancakes and sausage too if you need to fortify yourself for a day of eating and watching football.

The sweetness of the maple syrup can be a little overwhelming so use caution. I start with one-half ounce of pure maple syrup in an ice filled old fashioned glass. Add two ounces of your favorite bourbon; Wild Turkey seems appropriate for the holiday. Jim Beam Red Stag is good too and imparts a hint of cherry flavor. Finish it off with a couple dashes of orange bitters and stir well, making sure the syrup dissolves into the bourbon. You now have the perfect cocktail to toast the brave souls from the Mayflower and the Native American who saved their asses from starving to death.

Maple Old Fashioned

½ oz pure maple syrup

2 oz bourbon

2 dashes orange bitters

Mix all ingredients in an ice filled old fashioned glass, stirring well.

Old Fashioned (Well Dressed/Volstead Version)

To finally rectify my greatest crime against cocktail humanity, it is time to put up my “other” Old Fashioned recipe. As I mentioned before, I struggled with this grand predicament, but I came to the conclusion that there is a place for both. This variation is great for summer. The bright colors of the fruit contrast the deep brown of the drink and fit perfectly with seersucker, linen and madras!

It seems that the addition of muddled fruit originates during prohibition when the quality of the whiskey went down drastically and the average speakeasy patron needed something to help mask the god-awful taste of backwoods bourbon. The historical significance alone should give this variation its own place in every bartenders repertoire.

My formula for this is similar to the one I use without fruit. I decrease the amount of simple syrup by half to compensate for the addition of the fruit, and decrease the amount of bourbon slightly since I tend to serve these mid-day and nobody likes to find their guests face down on the croquet pitch with only mad dogs and Englishmen standing about. The steps to build it are much different though. Start with an orange slice, about ¼ inch thick. Peel the fruit from the inside of the slice and place it in the bottom of an old fashioned glass. Take the peel and slice it into two pieces, place these on top of the fruit; add two cherries, two dashes of angostura bitters and muddle. Pour in ½ ounce of simple syrup, an ounce of the bourbon of your choice (I suggest Gentleman Jack), stir well. Fill the glass with ice and add the remaining 1 ½ ounces of bourbon.

The garnish on this drink comes from my oldest and best cocktail companion who will remain nameless to protect his professional reputation. I fell it adds the perfect finishing touch to this drink. In order to comply with rule number two (look to the left of the screen) we need to include a cherry. It pains me greatly to write this as this is the only circumstance where I use them, but the neon red maraschino cherries work best here. You will also need a half an orange slice and a toothpick (I’ve been partial to the little plastic swords since I was a kid). Fold the orange in half around the cherry and stick the sword through to hold it all together, place it flippantly across the top of the drink and the side of the glass. Serve this cocktail with a nod to Utah for being the 36th state to ratify the 21st amendment, repealing the 18th amendment, and ending prohibition!

Old Fashioned

2½ oz bourbon

2 dashes angostura bitters

½ oz simple syrup

1 ½, quarter inch thick orange slices

cherries

Place the fruit from one orange slice into the bottom of an old fashioned glass, slice the peel into two pieces and add it to the glass. Add two cherries, the bitters, and muddle. Pour in the simple syrup, one ounce of bourbon, and stir. Fill the glass with ice and add the remaining bourbon. Garnish with half an orange and a cherry.

Old Fashioned (No Garbage)

The most glaring omission in my ongoing attempt to educate is perhaps my absolute favorite cocktail, so it has pained me greatly to let it sit idly by and not be recognized as the amazing drink that it is. The reason for my reluctance to add the Old Fashioned to the canonical record stems from my inability to decide whether the fruit belonged in the drink or not. I finally had an epiphany on this matter and am ready to pass on my wisdom (and hedge my bets). I realized that both variants have their place and that there is room in every bar for two Old Fashioned recipes, one made simply without fruit and another with fruit. I am going to start with the first, but will be adding the second in the very near future.

The Old Fashioned is perhaps the most bastardized cocktail I have ever come across. Depending on where you get your recipe you will see soda, sprite, ginger ale and many other preposterous ingredients that I refuse to even reference for fear of aiding in the destruction of one of America’s greatest inventions.

The Old Fashioned originated in the 1880s, at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky. More importantly it is considered the first cocktail as defined by the The Balance And Columbia Repository in 1806, as spirits, bitters, water, and sugar.  Following this definition to the word, the Old Fashioned is made up of bourbon, angostura bitters, water and sugar. In lieu of water and sugar separately, I use simple syrup because it makes the drink easier to make and prevents any un-dissolved sugar from sinking to the bottom of the glass.

While many of the drinks highlighted here have many steps and tools involved this one is as simple as it gets. Start with an old fashioned glass filled with ice, add 3 oz. of your favorite bourbon (I like Woodford Reserve for this drink), 2 dashes angostura bitters, and 1 oz. of simple syrup. Stir and serve, that’s it!

This is one of those cocktails that most people have heard of, but few have tried. It can hold its own in any situation as is. If you feel the need for a simple garnish, use an orange twist. You can also use orange bitters to add a slight citrus flavor.

Old Fashioned

3 oz bourbon

2 dashes angostura bitters

1 oz simple syrup

Fill an old fashioned glass with ice.  Add the bourbon, bitters and simple syrup. Stir and serve a piece of cocktail history.