Passed down to me by an older bartending mentor before the era of Google, this is a classic old fashioned recipe I’ve been making for years. Back then, we learned recipes from books and other bartenders after the bar closed, when everyone was done yelling profane shot names until 2 a.m. Here we use an award-winning Promethean straight bourbon whiskey from our good friends at Ironroot Republic Distillery in Denison, Texas. Ironroot never disappoints — and neither does this classic recipe.
Ironroot Promethean Bourbon
Angostura bitters
Peychaud’s bitters
Simple syrup
Orange peel and Luxardo cherry
Directions
Pour 2 ¼ ounces of bourbon into a rocks glass. Add ¾ ounce of simple syrup and 2 dashes of each bitters over a large ice cube. Stir until glass is cool to the touch. Twist and squeeze an orange peel, then rub it all the way around the rim of your glass and place it in the cocktail. Option to garnish with a Luxardo cherry. (This is not technically an old fashioned addition, but people like the cherry — just not the radioactive-red dyed maraschino cherries that kids eat. Far more high-quality, Luxardo cherries can be found at any major liquor store.)
Toby Thomason is General Manager of Harvest Seasonal Kitchen and Board Member of The Seed Project Foundation
