Enjoyed: Saturday, June 26, 2021

Listed on the menu: Yes, with a choice of bourbons.

Ingredients: Knob Creek Bourbon, maple simple syrup, bitters, Luxardo cherry, orange slice for garnish.

The occasion: This was Day 5 of our South Dakota adventure. (The previous day, Husband drove us through rocks and mud and gravel and mud in our rented ATV. There are hundreds of miles of trails in the Black Hills National Forest, and we managed a 110 mile trip in 6.5 hours. Alas, only wine was available at last night’s meal, so the much-desired Old Fashioned had to wait. Oh, and I needed to be sober, since I was the designated driver to Mount Rushmore. We chose to go in the evening, to see the illumination. I loved it.) In the early morning, we rode the 1880s Train from Hill City to Keystone and back, and then we drove all the legs of the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway. Iron Mountain Road was our favorite, especially the “pigtail” bridges. The Needles Highway was impressive, but frustrating to Husband, since it was drizzling and fellow drivers were not being careful nor courteous. Our next stop was the Crazy Horse Memorial–likewise impressive–and then a leisurely drive to Deadwood. We were exhausted and hungry, and soon discovered that all the steakhouses near our Main Street hotel were closed as of 9 PM. We were not expecting that, since the casinos in town are open 24/7. We finally found an empty table at Mustang Sally’s and had to settle for hamburgers. By now, I was so very ready for a drink!

My rating: **** out of 5. Knob Creek is a solid bourbon, so that’s a win. I also enjoyed the slight maple flavor of the simple syrup. Plus, even though we were seated outdoors, the drink came in an actual glass! The higher rating, however, comes mostly from the value of the drink: this was definitely a double shot of bourbon and the price was $8. Unbelievable!

Final thoughts: In the last 145 years, Deadwood has attracted gold miners, outlaws, card sharks, and prostitutes. In 1991, casinos became legal, and now the town is re-vitalized and teeming with tourists. We arrived on a hot Saturday night, and the gamblers and drinkers were out in full force. A young man at a table behind us was clutching a life-sized inflatable doll. Cheers! Let the cheap drinks flow! And, oh, yes, the Black Hills are gorgeous.