The Next Battleground: The Old Fashioned

Yes! 19th Century Old Fashioned

In recent years, we historically minded bartenders have fought the good fight for the case of the Martini.  A Martini is a drink consisting of Gin, Vermouth and sometimes bitters with a twist.  They are not made with vodka and no vermouth, and they are not Dirty.  They certainly DO NOT have any fruity thing like Apple pucker, pom or choco tacked on to the front of them.  They can be served in a martini glass, though I prefer an classic Nick & Nora.  If you like Vodka in a martini glass with no vermouth, you just ordered chilled Vodka in a Martini glass.  That, in no way, is a Martini.  If you do not like the taste of vermouth (and I keep my vermouth chilled and fresh so you really should like its delicious taste) then no amount should go into your Vodka drink.  Since Vodka, by its very nature, has no odor or taste, it won't matter if I make your drink "dry" or extra dry.  I splash or a full ounce, all you will taste will be vermouth.   


I could go on, but you know what I am talking about, right?  PS...if you really are afraid of Gin, try my Vesper.  It has converted 9 out of 10 dirty vodka drinkers when made by my hands.  What really helps is the story, and that is where we bartenders can flourish and nail the sale.

Em..No, thanks. 20th Century Old Fashioned.

While this battle obviously rages on, I see a new battlefield opening up.  The Old Fashioned.  I'll admit, as a young drinker, I was besotted with that mush of orange and cherry.  It was like a Shirley Temple for grown ups.  I always knew it was too sweet and asked for extra bitters and eventually requested no sugar at all.  Extra bitters, no sugar, nice cherries, bitter orange rind, the 20th Century Old Fashioned (as we called it at Fort Defiance) is not a terrible drink in the right hands.  Some drinks still demand this fruity slush, such as the Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned.


But a true Old Fashioned is from the 19th century and one of the oldest cocktails ever made, hence the name and the fabulous story that goes with it.  Bartenders...convert your customers with the story of how the Old Fashioned got its name and see your educated customers flourish with your sales.

The Story of the Old Fashioned

May 13th, 1806 Hudson, NY- the first recorded date of the definition of the word cocktail.   Spirit, bitters, sugar, water.  Boom.  That is it easy peasy.  It was basically a bittered Sling.  It was a drink, singular, like the Martini, not a class of drinks (see above).  Introduce ice and fresh citrus peel and you have got a more modern looking Cocktail.  More specifically, you have what we at Fort Defiance called the 19th Century Old Fashioned.  But when did the drink become old fashioned?  Well flash forward to the 1860's-1880's.  This is bartending's first golden age, the days of Jerry Thomas, Only William and the Bon Vivants.  You have all sorts of mustachioed barkeeps in vests and diamond stick pins making all sorts of drinks, lighting Blue Blazer's on fire and putting on a show behind the bar (sound familiar?).  Well an old timer would stumble into one of these new-fanagled saloons and order a Cocktail, you know, the DRINK.  Well these wise ass bartenders or "Mixologysts", as they called themselves, would ask what kids of fancy cocktail the old timer wanted.  After all they were trained and well versed in all sorts of cocktail creations, fizzes, flips, bucks, improved cocktails etc...


"No!  Just stop high there, fancy pants!", I imagine the salty old timer saying.  "I just want a cocktail, an OLD FASHIONED cocktail!"  There is the magical moment in the story.  "And shave that mustache, you hippie", he might have added in my imagination.


And there is how the Old Fashioned got its name.  So mix one up...its so easy to do at home and I can do it even when the cupboards are bare.  That reason is probably why the Old Fashioned is the most popular drink in this household.  The cupboards are often bare.  


Raise a glass to the old timers who just want an Old Fashioned cocktail!


The 19th Century Old Fashioned
2 oz Spirit (Whiskey, rum, tequila, gin etc...)
sugar cube or bar spoon of simple syrup or maple or honey
Bitters (oh just have fun and pick 1 or 2)
Citrus Twist


Build in an Old Fashioned glass (duh) and stir in big rocks.  Twist a spiral or large swath of citrus.  Mostly Lemon, but lime for rum is awesome and grapefruit for tequila and mezcal rocks my world.  This drink gets better as it sits.

The Admiral

With all the bad press North Carolina has gotten recently, I thought now would be a good time to point out a bright spot in that much maligned state.  Though the rest of their state refers to it as a "Cesspool of Sin" Asheville, North Carolina is a place of beauty, class and progressive ideals.  

Halfway through my journey from NYC to Nola, I had a blessed stop in the beautiful mountains of Asheville.  I adore this little town.  It reminds me of the beautiful Catskill Mountains where my family homestead lies.  But this town also has the beautiful weather and a very hip artist vibe that makes it one of the most desirable laces to live in America.

I call it a town, but it is actually a full fledged southern city that was grew around the building of a Vanderbilt mansion.  In 1985 George Vanderbilt searched far and wide for the perfect spot for a mountain house getaway and decided on Asheville.  This estate is still family owned, but has also become a sort of Disneyland for grownups, with gorgeous gardens, shops and the magnificent estate itself.


It also is the best Craft Beer city in the nation (wanna fight, Portland?) and has a great local food scene.  My recent stop on my way down to NOLA included having breakfast in an actual chicken coup where the chef cooked everything in beautiful cast iron skillets.


But the culinary highlight of the stop was having dinner at The Admiral.  I had only been to the Admiral once before, after a wedding.  We poured in this little roadside stand in out formal wear and entered a time warp where hip 60's soul records were spun and young kids danced with unabashed joy.  I was basically in heaven.  Then I found out that though it may not look it, this was one of Ashville's finest restaurants.  So imagine my joy when I roll into Asheville around 8pm after a long day on the road and my dear hostess and friend Cathryn states she needs dinner and that we are going to the Admiral.


Despite the prime hour on a Friday night, we only had to wait about 10 minutes for two seats at the bar (that is where I always want to sit anyway, natch).  My friend, due to Lent restrictions, graciously offered to be the designated driver, so I started with some lovely crispy Spanish white and we had some delicious raw oysters.  The food then just kept coming in waves of goodness.  There was Celeriac soup, muscles in a smokey tomato broth that I could take behind the middle school and get pregnant and pork chop with grits and collard greens.  I do believe it was one of the best meals in recent memory.  Dessert was not an afterthought either with homemade key lime pie ice cream in a float of Cheerwine, a local cherry/Dr Pepper -like soda.


And just think...after all this food you can stay late and dance it off when the kitchen closes and the room and your belly is full of good Soul!