Enjoyed: Saturday, February 5, 2022

Listed on the menu: Yes, as “Very Special Old Fashioned”

Ingredients: Hennessy VSOP, Simple Syrup, Muddled Orange and Cherry, Dashes Bitters

The occasion: Dry January/Holiday Recovery is over, and cases of Covid-19 are again going down in our area, so the time was right for a day trip to visit Youngest Son. We selected Monza for a very late lunch, since it was a short walk away from his apartment. We hadn’t seen him since Christmas, so we toasted to a healthy and prosperous 2022.

My rating: ** out of 5. I was initially intrigued by this spin on a classic Old Fashioned, which is usually made with whiskey of some sorts. I do enjoy a snifter of cognac–and VSOP Hennessy is lovely, and cognac is aged in oak barrels just like bourbon–but how would this work in an Old Fashioned? The answer: on this particular afternoon, it didn’t work. The drink was served in a tumbler which was too large and contained too much ice. A large orange slice and two whole maraschino cherries were muddled inside. And the simple syrup was simply over-abundant. Yes, cognac does have wonderful fruity flavor notes of its own, but this cognac  was totally overshadowed by all the additional items in the glass. 

Final thoughts: Husband and Son had no complaints about their cocktail choices or about the Monza racetrack posters decorating the walls. Perhaps, in this Italian restaurant,  I should have selected a glass of Chianti to go with my delicious spaghetti carbonara.