LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2021

WHISKY BUSINESS

The Old Fashioned Silky smooth and spirit-forward, this grande dame of cocktails may have a long history, but it never goes out of style.

TWIST Try the Brandy Old Fashioned, a twist popular in Wisconsin that sees the whisky replaced with brandy. The sugar cube is typically muddled with orange slices and a cherry, and the cocktail is finished with a glug of lemon-lime soda.

History Many bars

claim to have invented the Old Fashioned, most notably

Louisville’s Pendennis Club, which may have

been the first to serve it, in the 1880s, according to some accounts.

Recommendations Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon ( LCBO 266072, $54.40) offers flavourful notes of wood spice, stone fruit and dill that cut through the ice dilution and stand up to the sweetness of the sugar. Maker’s Mark 46 ( LCBO 225565, $56.95) also delivers the big, full-bodied taste this simple cocktail calls for.

Angostura bitters are the standard in an Old Fashioned, but you can experiment with other types of aromatic bitters or try Dillon’s Orange Bitters (LCBO 463398, 100 mL, $14.95) for a citrusy kick.

Large ice cubes do more than give your cocktail a stylish appearance. Their larger surface area melts slower than smaller cubes or crushed ice, preserving your drink’s strong flavour.

Basic recipe

1 sugar cube or 1/2 tsp (2 mL) sugar

3 dashes Angostura bitters

2 oz bourbon or rye whiskey

Orange peel for garnish

Add sugar and bitters to a rocks glass. Muddle and stir until sugar is nearly dissolved. Add bourbon and stir. Fill glass with a single large ice cube and gently stir until chilled. Express oil of orange peel over glass before dropping in. Makes 1 drink.

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AUTUMN 2021 FOOD & DRINK