With the exception of a good margarita, I’ve never been one for mixed drinks. Which doesn’t mean I don’t like a great cocktail.
I just tend to be very selective about the cocktails I love. And the ones I love tend to be simple and made mostly from brown liquors, such as bourbon and rye. The reason is simple. I don’t like lots of mixtures of unidentifiable alcohols. Not only are they usually overly sweet, but they are a headache — literally!
And I recently learned just how important each element is to making a terrific simple cocktail. Because when you’re working with just a few ingredients, everything — even the ice — matters.
I learned this when I visited Mike Hudman, Andy Ticer and Nick Talarico at Hog &Hominy in Memphis, Tenn. I loved Hog &Hominy before I ever walked through the front door just because of the name, which is an old moniker for the state of Tennessee, as in the “Hog &Hominy” state.
Everything they do in their fused together American Southern and Italian restaurant, they do with care. But the real reason to visit Hog &Hominy is their artisanal cocktail bar.
Talarico set down a beautiful drink of brown “water” and a great waft of fresh orange oil greeted me before I took my first sip. It was their version of an old-fashioned and there was nothing typically “old-fashioned” about it.
Needless to say, after the second drink, we were unified in our love for Talarico’s old-fashioned. So much so, that I had to learn to make it!
The crew at Hog &Hominy are purists and set out to uncover the original recipe for an old fashioned before it got bogged down in sweet fruits and watered down with way too much club soda. They went all the way back to a couple of old bartender books, including one from 1887.
Nick’s old fashioned
To make the orange twist, use a vegetable peeler or paring knife and slice a long strip of zest off a clean orange. Make sure not to include the bitter white pith.
Start to finish: 10 minutes
Servings: 1
2- to 3-inch strip of orange zest
1 demerara sugar cube (or 1 teaspoon raw sugar)
3 drops orange bitters
1 drop Angostura bitters
1 tablespoon club soda
2 ounces bourbon (or rye)
4 ice cubes
Twist the orange zest to help release its oils, then rub it along the inside of a tumbler, as well as along the rim. Reserve the zest.
Place the sugar in the bottom of the tumbler. Add both bitters directly to the sugar. Pour the club soda over the sugar to help to dissolve the sugar crystals. Muddle until melted. Add the bourbon and mix. When the mixture is smooth, add the ice. Slide the reserved orange twist into the side of the glass so it sits between the ice and glass. Serve immediately.