Also, perfected my favorite drink. For bourbon lovers, I present the PERFECT OLD FASHIONED...WITH PICTURES!!!! (because I know the people that lurk this forum):
- 2 oz of your favorite bourbon
- 1 oz demerara syrup (see below)
- 2 dashes of Angostura orange bitters (THIS BRAND ONLY)
- Orange peel
- Optional: Filthy Black Cherries
1. Add demerara syrup, bitters, and a couple of chips of ice to a rock glass and stir.
- Demerara sugar is a brown 'raw" sugar that has a smooth, sweet flavor. To make a syrup, add 1/2 cup sugar to 1/2 cup water, then bring to a boil until it's all dissolved. Add a splash of high proof alcohol (Everclear or high-proof vodka works well) and it will last on the shelf for weeks. Let it cool before using.)
2. Use a potato peeler and peel the rind from a good orange.Twist over the glass, then wipe the rind around the rim of the glass. (If you want to be super fancy- look up how to flame the oil from an orange rind.)
3. Add a couple of dashes of bitters, then smash the rind in the bottle of the glass a bit with a muddler.
4. Add bourbon to a shaker with some crushed ice and shake shake shake...shake it all da time. This will release a bit of water into the bourbon, which is desirable.
5. Add a large ice cube to your glass (I didn't have one at the time, but my Death Star ice molds were in progress)
6. Add two Filthy Black Cherries (if desired). I ate mine before the pic was taken (they're AMAZING...don't get them off of Amazon. They're way overpriced)
7. Pour the bourbon over the ice and enjoy. Enjoy it a looooooootttttt......
BONUS SUPER DUPER FANCY TIP: Prep your glass by smoking it (it's the thing a lot of restaurants are doing these days): If you have a plank of cedar wood and a torch, scorch a portion of the wood and put your glass upside down on it to capture the smoke. Then immediately add your ingredients. Do this in front of your socially-distant guests to get some oooos and ahhhhhs.