Enjoyed: Sunday, September 6, 2021

Listed on the menu: Yes, as Old Fashioned (with choice of Bare Knuckles Whiskeys).

Ingredients: Straight Rye Whiskey (as bartender recommended), muddled orange slice, muddled maraschino cherry, sugar cube, barrel-aged bitters.

The occasion: Husband and I had no plans for this Sunday before Labor Day, so we drove to Manassas to again visit Gainfully Employed Son 2.0. The mid-afternoon brought drizzle, so we opted for an indoor activity, i.e. a visit to KO Distilling. Husband chose a flight of whiskeys–which he enjoyed– instead of a cocktail. The staff was very friendly and eager to chat with us.

My rating: ** out of 5. The rye was undoubtedly well-crafted, but the remaining ingredients, although traditional for an Old Fashioned, were more of a distraction than an enhancement. My first taste of the cocktail was like a burst of Red Hot candy. The red color of the drink also confused me. Did the bartender add Fireball to my drink? Yes, rye should have a sharpness, but why was I tasting cinnamon so strongly? I was hoping for more subtlety and sophistication in both presentation and taste.

Final thoughts: Son’s cocktail (a spin on a Sazerac) was also disappointing. He remarked that the distillery’s selection of cocktails was too large. Indeed, the menu was several pages long. “If you’re going to make cocktails, offer a small amount of choices but learn to make each one well every time,” he remarked.