Enjoyed: Thursday, October 24, 2024

Listed on the menu: Yes, as “The Classic Old Fashioned”

Ingredients: Old Forester bourbon, angostura bitters, orange bitters, hummingbird bitters, cherry bitters

The occasion: For the penultimate leg of our “Deep South” road trip, we drove the Natchez Trace Parkway –gorgeous fall colors, by the way–from Mississippi into Alabama. We detoured to Florence to tour Rosenbaum House, the only building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the state. Then we headed on to our primary goal: a decades-overdue visit with my childhood friends who now live in Huntsville. We were treated to a marvelous dinner at The Cotton Club in the historic downtown district, and then on to a fun speakeasy in a dark basement.

My rating: *** out of 5. My drink was well-made and beautifully presented, but lost a star because the service was too slow. I prefer sipping and enjoying the full flavors of the bourbon and the bitters on a fresh palate and empty stomach, which means I want my cocktail served before the food is. Admittedly, I was pleasantly distracted by the delightful company, and by my tasty entree, so I forgot to ask about why so many bitters were used. I had never before heard of hummingbird bitters!

Final thoughts: Reunions are a wonderful thing. Yes, we talked about our kids, our careers, our travels, and our hobbies, but we also easily segued into memories of the past (such as our Polish moms’ cooking and watching the Chicago Cubs). Husband and I have re-connected with several other “old” friends these past few years, and we decided that we need to re-connect with even more people now that we are retired. What does that song say? “Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other’s gold.” Cheers to our golden friends in Alabama!