Enjoyed: Monday, May 30, 2022

Listed on the menu: Yes, as “Naked & Afraid”.

Ingredients:  Sun King White Whiskey, 18.21 Havana & Hide Bitters, House Simple, Orange Swath, Bourbon Soaked Cherry

The occasion: This was the final night of our Memorial Day weekend in Indiana, and since Niece C currently lives in the Indy area, a visit was in order. She suggested meeting at this brewery/bar in Carmel, the “Roundabout Capital of the World,” and they are not kidding–there are at least 140 roundabouts in this city of 99,757 people.

My rating: ** out of 5. This cocktail is not labeled an Old Fashioned per se, but the list of ingredients sounded like an Old Fashioned, except–and now I know this is key!–for the “naked” white whiskey in place of bourbon or rye. White whiskey, I suspect, is just a fancy name for clear grain alcohol with a similar proof to whiskey, and is likely almost flavorless, so the other ingredients (mainly the simple syrup) become dominant. I missed the nuanced flavors of an aged bourbon or rye.

Final thoughts: Yes, this was the final evening of a long weekend, the bar was definitely under-staffed, and our waiter was brand-new to the job and couldn’t really tell us anything about the drink menu. None of this was a surprise, just a bit of a disappointment, but all was offset by the great company of Niece C.