A classic recipe might go something like this:
- 1 sugar cube (or 1 heaping teaspoon granulated sugar)
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey
- water as desired
- Lemon twist
Muddle sugar, bitters, and whiskey in an old fashioned glass to dissolve sugar. Add a little water, fill glass with ice, and stir well. Garnish with lemon twist.
Notes:
- I like to use simple syrup (1:1 water and sugar, boiled to dissolve then cooled) instead of sugar when I can. While probably not historically accurate it saves the step of muddling the sugar and makes for a smoother, thicker texture. in this case sub 1/4-1/2 oz simple syrup for the sugar, and omit the water if desired.
- The real point of this drink is the bitters. Originally these tinctures of barks and roots were consumed for their medicinal value and were too unpalatable to be drank on their own. For a little variation it can be fun to pick up a few different kinds of bitters (Fee Brothers has a line of flavors like cherry, lemon, orange, rhubarb etc.) and try them in place of the traditional angostura. You'll be surprised how noticeable the differences can be.
- The first old fashioneds were probably most commonly made with made with rye, since that's what grew in the in the northern, more densely populated states. That said they're also delicious with bourbon, but they'll be sweeter and less spicy/fragrant. I like Wild Turkey (they make a rye and a bourbon) but if your guests are brown booze greenhorns then you might want something milder like Maker's Mark. Old Overholt rye is delicious as well and usually only $16-$18 a bottle.
- Some people debate over whether it's correct to use soda, still water, or none at all; soda wasn't easily available when the drink became popular, and since the drink was commonly imbibed in the morning for its medicinal value I would guess it was usually diluted with a little water. I prefer it with soda, but its really a matter of personal taste.
- Don't bother with a bright red, near-flavorless "maraschino" cherry. The the original maraschino cherry (a marasca cherry preserved in its own liqueur) didn't become commonplace in the U.S. until the late 1800s, and it bore little resemblance to the artificially colored and sweetened Queen Anne cherries you'll find masquerading as maraschinos today. Fresh or dried cherries soaked in brandy are a great do-it-yourself alternative. Adding the citrus of your choice is fine, but again, citrus was not as widely available in the early 1800s as it is today.
If you want to see a great modern adaptation of this classic drink then check out this video from "Raising the Bar" by Jamie Boudreau on Small Screen Network.
If you want to know more about the history of the mixed drink check out "Imbibe!" by David Wondrich, a comprehensive look at how our favorite libations came to be.
If you want to know more about the history of the mixed drink check out "Imbibe!" by David Wondrich, a comprehensive look at how our favorite libations came to be.
Just for fun I've copied the first known printing of the "cock tail" and its ingredients below:
Communication.
To the Editor of the Balance.
I observe in your paper of the 6th instant, in the account of a democratic candidate for a seat in the legislature, marked under the head of Loss, 25 do. cock-tail. Will you be so obliging as to inform me what is meant by this species of refreshment? Though a stranger to you, I believe, from your general character, you will not suppose this request to be impertinent.
I have heard of a forum, of phlegm-cutter and fog driver, of wetting the whistle, of moistening the clay, of a fillip, a spur in the head, quenching a spark in the throat, of flip & c, but never in my life, though have lived a good many years, did I hear of cock tail before. Is it peculiar to a part of this country? Or is it a late invention? Is the name expressive of the effect which the drink has on a particular part of the body? Or does it signify that the democrats who take the potion are turned topsycurvy, and have their heads where their tails should be? I should think the latter to be the real solution; but am unwilling to determine finally until I receive all the information in my power.
At the beginning of the revolution, a physician publicly recommended the moss which grew on a tree as a substitute for tea. He found on experiment, that it had more of a stimulating quality then he approved; and therefore, he afterward as publicly denounced it. Whatever cock tail is, it may be properly administered only at certain times and to certain constitutions. A few years ago, when the democrats were bawling for Jefferson and Clinton, one of the polls was held in the city of New York at a place where ice cream was sold. Their temperament then was remarkably adust and bilious. Something was necessary to cool them. Now when they are sunk into rigidity, it might be equally necessary, by cock-tail to warm and rouse them.
I hope you will construe nothing that I have said as disrespectful. I read your paper with great pleasure and wish it the most extensive circulation. Whether you answer my inquiry or not, I shall still remain,
Yours,
A SUBSCRIBER
[As I make it a point, never to publish anything (under my editorial head) but which I can explain, I shall not hesitate to gratify the curiosity of my inquisitive correspondent: Cock tail, then is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters it is vulgarly called a bittered sling, and is supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion inasmuch as it renders the heart stout and bold, at the same time that it fuddles the head. It is said also, to be of great use to a democratic candidate: because, a person having swallowed a glass of it, is ready to swallow any thing else.
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