Last week, Maker’s Mark invited me to participate in their Father’s Day webinar. Pamela Wiznitzer teamed up with David Shapiro of Trunk Club in Manhattan to help us make some cocktails and come up with some creative Father’s Day gifts. In addition to showing us several ways to wrap a Maker’s Mark bottle (my personal favorite was tying a bowtie around it and gifting them both), Pam showed us how to make a couple of different Old Fashioned recipes with Maker’s 46. At first I thought, “Well, I know how to make an Old Fashioned.” But then I realized that (a) my currently-posted Old Fashioned recipe is a bit old and contains a lot more “fruit salad” than I prefer these days, and (b) Pam had some pretty great ideas on how to make an excellent cocktail, all of which are below.
I’m usually 1,500 miles away from my dad, and until this year my husband could only be considered a father to our adorable but badly-behaved dog, so I was really excited that my dad was coming up to Boston this past weekend and we could have a belated Father (and Father-to-be)’s day celebration with some Old Fashioneds. I set up all the ingredients we’d need for the two recipes Pam showed us and mixed up some drinks for the two of the most important men in my life (the third being the tiny one doing somersaults in my uterus right now). My dad also brought his incredibly nice Canon 6D and all of his expertise with Lightroom, so we got some great photos of the process!
Maker’s Mark can make for a very special Old Fashioned. I personally love using bourbon instead of rye, and as a wheated bourbon, Maker’s is particularly sweet and rich. We made these cocktails with Maker’s 46, a special bottle from Maker’s Mark that is aged for 2-3 more months with additional French oak staves. It gives the Maker’s a more intense flavor, rich with caramel, spice, vanilla, and toasted oak. The distillers experimented with several different barrels for the special bourbon, and the 46th was the one that worked – thus Maker’s 46.
For the first Old Fashioned, Pam kept it classic with Angostura bitters and regular simple syrup (1:1 ratio of sugar and water, either simmered and cooled or – as Pam suggested if you’re pinched for time – shaken together in a mason jar until the sugar dissolves). Where she surprised me was suggesting a lemon twist instead of the usual orange twist. At first I was aghast – isn’t that sacrilegious or something?? But she said it could really brighten up the flavors of the bourbon, and she was completely right. It was a nice twist on my usual recipe (no pun intended).
For the second recipe, Pam used two really excellent ingredients: Cocktail & Son’s Spiced Demerara Syrup, which I’ve tried before and loved, and 18.21 Barrel Aged Havana & Hyde bitters, which were new to me but are going to quickly became a favorite in my bar. This Old Fashioned was an entirely different experience, full of spice and smoke. An orange twist and star anise were the perfect garnish.
The dads had a great time catching up and enjoying the Old Fashioneds. I’m really lucky that my son is going to grow up with two such wonderful men in his life!
Simple Old Fashioned
2 oz. bourbon (Maker’s 46 recommended)
2 dashes bitters
2 barspoons simple syrup
Lemon twist
In a mixing glass, combine bitters, simple syrup, and bourbon. Fill the glass with ice, stir briefly, and strain into an Old Fashioned glass over one large ice cube. Twist a lemon peel over the glass, rub it along the sides, and drop it in. Alternatively, you can build the drink in your glass.
Spiced Old Fashioned
2 oz. bourbon (Maker’s 46 recommended)
9 drops 18.21 Havana & Hyde bitters (or other barrel-aged bitters)
1 barspoon Cocktail & Sons Spiced Demerara Syrup
Orange twist
Star anise
Combine bitters, syrup, and bourbon in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir briefly. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over one large ice cube. Squeeze an orange peel over the glass, rub it along the sides, and drop it in. Garnish with star anise. Alternatively, you can build the cocktail in your glass.