A Classic, Perfect Old-Fashioned
My Dad was a perfect old-fashioned. What I mean is that he was old-fashioned, and he loved a perfect old-fashioned cocktail. He was a very funny guy and a great athlete in his day. In High School he was the athletic hero, the guy who lettered in every sport. He especially loved basketball and football. I honestly can’t remember which one he loved more.
He probably would have continued into some sports career except that he ended up blowing out his knee. He decided to get married and have a family and spent his career as the neighborhood hardware man. We all worked for him at various times in our young lives. And by “we”, I mean almost every kid we knew worked for him at some point. This means all the kids from our neighborhood and any friends from school we brought by the house who may have been looking for a job.
The Family that Laughs Together
He came from a very large family, with many, many, many brothers and sisters. Dad loved them all fiercely and they all shared the same funny, witty and a little corny, sense of humor. Seeing them get together, although infrequent, was a treat!
Around the house, you could see my dad out in the yard, maybe mowing the lawn or planting a garden, with a cigarette in his mouth. There would be a tiny black and white portable television, extended from the house by the worlds longest extension cord. The TV tuned to (insert any sport here) with a transistor radio earphone in one ear playing (insert any sport here). He created his own technology.
He Loved To Joke and He Loved To Cook
Dad had a great laugh and he loved a practical joke. He loved to cook and had some fantastic specialties. He’d make up engaging stories of crazy ingredients he’d want us to believe he’d used. A favorite was popovers for St. Patrick’s Day that he’d colored with food dye, green. I will make you imagine what he said was in those!
Every summer we went on a family vacation with the station wagon packed to the brim and bursting with kids, friends and always the family dog. Our trips usually involved fishing. I loved fishing with my dad. Some days he’d come home from a long day at work with a giant bag filled with bazooka bubble gum. He’d challenge us to pack as many pieces of gum into our mouths to see who could blow the biggest bubble.
Everyone loved Dean. I mean, everyone. It sure would be great to go fishing one more time with my old-fashioned dad. I sure was a lucky kid.
How to make a Perfect Old-Fashioned Cocktail
My prefered bourbon for a Old-Fashioned is Blanton’s https://www.blantonsbourbon.com The bourbon you use in an Old-Fashioned, does make a difference. Not only is Blanton’s a great bourbon, but the Blanton’s bottles are so darn good looking! Just use the best bourbon you have or can buy. Add a sugar cube to the bottom of a chilled rocks glass, with a couple good drops of orange bitters. Muddle with a teaspoon of water to dissolve the sugar. Add a great big square or round ice-cube! You can make them at home with an ice cube mold.
Next, add your bourbon and let the ice melt into the bourbon for about 30 seconds. Garnish with a cherry. I also insist on Luxardo The Original Maraschino Cherries. (You can get them at Amazon, William Sonoma, etc.) Trust me, once you try these, you will never eat one of those dyed red cherries again! These cherries are the greatest!
You can experiment too, and do a fancy light of the orange peel, releasing the scent of the oils in the skin.
The Perfect Old-Fashioned Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 cube sugar
- 2 dashes bitters (experiment with your favorites!)
- 2 ounces best bourbon
- Orange twist
- Luxardo Maraschino Cherry
Instructions
- Muddle the sugar cube and bitters with a teaspoon of water (or bar spoon measure) in the bottom of a chilled rocks glass/tumbler
- Add one large ice cube in the glass, or three to four regular size cubes
- Stir until chilled and diluted (about 30 seconds)
- Add Bourbon
- Put the Cherry on a cocktail skewer and lay on top
- put the orange twist on the side of the ice cube
- Serve and Enjoy Cheers!
