Overproof Old Fashioned

When you're making a stirred cocktail, you always want to consider how temperature and dilution will affect the final drink. For an Old Fashioned variety you want something higher proof that won't just taste like water after a couple minutes. We use Charter 101 at the bar, which is an overproof bourbon from Kentucky by Buffalo Trace, but really you can use any 101-proof bourbon. Wild Turkey 101 and Four Roses Single Barrel are a bit easier to find, and would work really well for this drink.

Ramblin' Man, from Esquire

From The Silver Dollar, Louisville, KY

• 2 oz Charter 101 bourbon
• .25 oz honey syrup*
• 1 dash Peychaud's bitters
• 4 drops Sheldon bitters**

Put 1 dash of Peychaud's bitters into an old fashioned glass and add the honey syrup and bourbon.  Stir to taste with ice, pour into a separate old fashioned glass over 3 ice cubes and garnish with Sheldon bitters (do not stir ).

* The honey syrup is 2 parts honey: 1 part water, boiled until slightly thickened.

** Sheldon Bitters are house-made sassafras bitters, with notes of cinnamon and cherry bark. You can substitute with Bitter Truth Old Time Aromatic bitters or Scrappy's root-beer bitters.

See more Esquire Cocktails of the Week!

Scotland's Whiskey Regions

We’ve all heard of Scotch whisky, most often referred to simply as “Scotch,” which consists of malt or grain whisky made in Scotland. And most of us know that the country is divided into a number of geographic areas that produce the beloved liquor. But what exactly are these various districts and how do the flavors vary? Let’s take a look.

Islay: The tiny island of Islay is nicknamed “Whisky Island,” due to its concentration of eight producing distilleries. Its whiskies are the strongest flavored of the four regions and renowned for their dryness and strong peaty smokiness. Examples of distilleries include Bowmore, Lagavulin and Laphroaig.

To read more about the different regions of Scotland on Food Republic, click here.

Double Chocolate Bourbon

"Prichard's Double Chocolate Bourbon - Is a perfectly balanced bourbon with a mellow chocolate, (Not Sweet) background flavor. If you like chocolate and bourbon. You will like this bourdon."

Not sure how I feel about this, but I would try it...

Can a Cocktail Make You More Creative?

Slate actually wrote about this very thing, researching whether or not artists who drank often mixed their imbibing with their creative efforts. 

And what did they find? Apparently many great artists would side with Sam. Slate writer Mason Currey notes that "Even the alcoholics recognized that drinking made their creative output a little too effortless." The painter Francis Bacon or the writer Earnest Hemingway would often drink large quantities while out with friends in the evening, but would rarely mix that with work (both did rise quite early in the morning, regardless of the previous late night, and get right to work). Similarly, F. Scott Fitzgerald blocked out some of the day to be an alcohol-free work period, recognizing that he wasn't nearly as productive when mixing the two. 

Read more about cocktails and creativity on The Kitchn.

1 Part Whiskey + 1 Part Whiskey + 1 Part Whiskey = Your New Favorite Cocktail

1 Part Whiskey + 1 Part Whiskey + 1 Part Whiskey = Your New Favorite Cocktail 
There's something alchemical going on in this cocktail: Old Overholt, Jack, and Johnnie, equal parts, over ice. No bitters, no twist. No artisanal tonic water. And somehow, improbably, almost magically, it's a revelation. (At Brooklyn's Five Leaves, they call it Whiskey in a Jar.) All of the subtle flavors that differentiate scotch and rye get drowned out, and all that's left is the point of overlap—the harmony. Sweet, refreshing, just a little bit woody, and boozy as you'd expect it to be. It's kind of the perfect summer cocktail—at the very least, it's the easiest one to make at home.

Read about more Whiskey cocktails on GQ here. 

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon is a Steal!

This 12-year old expression (the age statement is relegated to the back label) is bottled at full cask strength and non-chill filtered. (What does that mean? I address chill filtration here). The kicker? It's listing at an MSRP of $40, which in the current whiskey landscape (where cask strength bourbons are rare, and often go for $60 to $90) is an absolute steal. But value is about more than price, so let's pop the cork and see what's in the bottle.

Read more about Elijah Craig Barrel Bourbon on Serious Eats Drinks.

What Would YOU Do For a Whiskey?

Drunk, Naked Fisherman Paddles Across Croc-Infested River on a Log to Win Bet for Whiskey: 'It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time.'

"Someone dared him to get on to one of the logs and row across the river."

In return, the makeshift Crocodile Dundee was promised two cases of Jack Daniel's. "He managed to stay on for quite a while before getting back into the boat," said Innes.

Read more on Gawker.

Mad Men Cocktail Guide

amc released the Mad Men Cocktail Guide in honor of the return of Mad Men's sixth season.

Some I'm sure you've heard of, like Manhattans and Greyhounds, but others are more obscure, like Brandy Alexanders and Harpoons.

Familiar or not, they all look delicious!

Classic Manhattan

Brandy Alexander

The Blue Hawaiian

The Harpoon

French 75

Check out the rest of the Mad Med Cocktail Guide!

Bottoms up,

The Algonquin Cocktail

The Algonquin Cocktail

There are a couple of versions of the Algonquin Cocktail floating around.  We’re featuring the recipe that is the most generally accepted — and the one that the Algonquin Hotel serves today.  (I discuss a different version in the Notes.)  

This version uses rye whiskey — which always seems most appropriate to me in a winter drink.  But the cocktail also includes a healthy slug of pineapple juice, which lightens up the drink and makes it perfect for spring or summer as well.  This is a smooth cocktail with a tang and not too much sweetness — excellent to whet your appetite before dinner.

Ingredients

• 1½ ounces rye whiskey (the better quality the rye, the better the drink; see Notes)
• ¾ ounce dry (white) vermouth
• ¾ ounce unsweetened pineapple juice (the stuff in those little cans is perfect)

Procedure

1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker half-filled with ice.  Shake (or stir) briskly until well chilled — about 20 to 30 seconds.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass and serve.  I very much prefer this drink without a garnish.  But if you insist on one, I suggest an orange peel or maybe a lemon twist.

Read more about the Algonquin Cocktail on Kitchen Riffs.

What Prohibition Repeal Looked Like

Read more on Gothamist.