Taste Test of the Week: Smooth Ambler 7 Year Old Bourbon
The last season of Mad Men has just ended and therefore we think it is appropriate to say goodbye to Don Draper & Co with one of the great drink classics; the Old Fashioned - after all, they were the ones who almost single-handedly raised the classic drink from oblivion.
Old Fashioned is one of the oldest known drinks. It is often served with whiskey, preferably American bourbon - but this is not a requirement. The name means that the drink is made the old-fashioned way, with spirits, sugar and bitters. Thus, it is also completely legal, and quite delicious, to make your Old Fashioned with, for example, rum.
For today's occasion, we have chosen to make it ultra classic; Old Fashioned with a good American bourbon from our new member of the portfolio,Smooth Ambler.
The ingredients are fairly simple:
- 6 cl good whiskey, in this case Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7 Year Old
- 1-2 dashes Angostura Bitters
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- Ice
- Orange peel
Angostura bitters help give the Old Fashioned its special character, and to begin with, you pour sugar into the glass and mix it with the Angostura. It is recommended to "cheat" a little and boil sugar syrup in advance; 1 part sugar and 1 part water, boil together until the sugar is dissolved, you can store the rest in the refrigerator for the next time you make an Old Fashioned.
Then you alternately add Bourbon and ice cubes, about 2 cl at a time plus a few ice cubes, stir gently for 10-20 seconds and repeat the process. When your drink is ready, take your grated orange peel and rub it around the rim of the glass a few times before adding it to the drink.
Voila! Enjoy your Old Fashioned and send a loving thought to Don, Peggy, Joan and the others who helped put the Old Fashioned back on the drinks menu :-)
