Friday, February 18, 2022

1. Young women drinking canned cocktails. The brewery had an extensive list of locally-crafted beers and ciders, too. Why not choose something that is the establishment’s specialty?

2. The fact that canned cocktails even exist. Seriously. Who came up with this? The very premise of “cocktail,” to me, means that the libation is lovingly mixed and served up almost immediately, and not created in a factory and placed in an aluminum cylinder and consumed weeks later. Shudder.

3. The busload of 20-somethings that arrived just as Husband and I finished our meal and first round of beers. I applaud the utilization of a Designated Driver, and I am pleased this group chose to patronize a small business, but I am quite sure most of these young people were not using their “inside voices” to chat each other up. The noise level made it exceedingly difficult for Husband and me to read trivia questions to each other. Humph. It’s days like today that make the divide between Boomers and Millennials all the wider.

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. 

Enjoyed: Sunday, December 5, 2021

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

Ingredients: Bourbon, Simple Syrup,  and Peychaud’s Bitters with a Double Shot of Espresso

The occasion: This was day three of our December Get-Away. Our dear friends recommended the coffee and breakfast items at this cafe, near our hotel in the Woodley Park neighborhood. The “locals” were there for brunch, obviously, and we were delighted to join them.

My rating: **** out of 5. I have had an Old Fashioned made with coffee liqueur, but never with freshly-made espresso, so I was eager to try this alongside my lemon-blueberry-cream cheese French toast. I love strong black coffee and I love bourbon, and happily, the rich flavors of each worked well together. This is definitely a “brunch” cocktail, however, and I would not choose it as a pre-dinner drink.

Final thoughts: So if the espresso is a stimulant and the bourbon a depressant, do these ingredients cancel each other out? Should I have a buzz of any sort? After a weekend away, I can say that I was indeed feeling fine.

Enjoyed: Friday, December 3, 2021

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

Ingredients: Bulleit bourbon, simple syrup, cherry bitters, Angostura bitters, club soda, orange peel

The occasion: Every December, Husband and I get out of town for a weekend as an early holiday gift to ourselves. (We skipped 2020, obviously.) In 2019, we went to Washington and stayed at the historic and iconic Omni Shoreham. (My favorite facts about the hotel? 1. The Beatles stayed here in February 1964 right after appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show. Their DC performance would be their first concert in the USA before a paying audience.  AND, 2. Bill Clinton played his saxophone here during one of his inaugural balls in January 1993.) Since we had not been to DC for two solid years, we decided to return to the Shoreham. As always, the elegant lodgings and attentive staff did not disappoint.

My rating: **** out of 5. After the trio of tipsy conference-goers finally stepped aside, I ordered my drink and watched the bartender carefully.  He started with incredibly generous dashes of cherry bitters and then angostura bitters, then an overflowing double jigger of bourbon, and a splash of simple syrup. He poured this from shaker to shaker several times to mix it up– I must admit that I have never seen that technique used–then poured it into a glass, added a splash of club soda, then ice and an orange peel. Later, a hotel staffer told me that the evening’s bartender had a reputation for making a fine Old Fashioned. The cherry flavor was more evident than usual, but not unwelcome.

Final thoughts: While I enjoyed this nightcap, Husband sipped on Lagavulin scotch. We sat in soft velveteen chairs between the restaurant and vast lobby, and we simply enjoyed the opulence and the Christmas decorations. Ah, in moments like this, life is indeed good.

Enjoyed: Friday, November 26 , 2021

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

Ingredients :  bourbon,  turbinado, angostura, orange bitters, and orange peel.  Our server suggested that I upgrade the bourbon to the Reserve (aged 6 years), and I did.

The occasion: The family that drinks together, stays together, right? After a lovely Thanksgiving meal the previous day– with sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and his family–we were eager for more intimate family chats. Oldest Son drove up from Nashville for the day, too! As an added bonus, later in the afternoon, two friends from Indy also joined us for a long-overdue catch-up session. Between the six of us, we sampled several cocktails–the ones featuring Chili Liqueur were a popular choice.

My rating: ***** out of 5. The cocktail was velvety in my mouth, with notes of vanilla and burnt sugar. I am glad I chose the Reserve Bourbon–the quality was evident.

Final thoughts: Instead of Black Friday shopping, we supported a small, local business. And the seasonal cocktails with pop-culture-based names (we tried the “Rudolph’s Revenge”, “For The Rest of Us”, “Yippee Ki Yay, Mother F*cker”, and “Oogie Boogie’s Revenge”) also put us in a festive and frolicsome mood!

1. Her name.
2. She is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University.  “Go, Rams!”
3. She is currently the Tasting Room Manager at Blue Bee Cider in Richmond.
4. She, just like the governor, enjoys restaurants in the Scott’s Addition neighborhood.
5. She was born and raised in Charlottesville.
6. The people responsible for her passion for Virginia-made spirits are her parents, who dragged her along on their many trips to local wineries, ostensibly because they wanted her to log hours toward her Behind The Wheel training but it was really because they needed a Designated Driver.

Enjoyed: Friday, October 29 , 2021

Listed on the menu: Yes, as “Elijah’s Ascension”

Ingredients: Fat washed Elijah Craig bourbon, cigar syrup, aromatic bitters.

The occasion: I had a day off, so I took out my new car (had 110 miles on the odometer when I started this trip!) and drove to Richmond in the rain. Daughter and I shared a cup of tea and some profound conversation about life and its opportunities. She suggested we eat lunch at the newly-opened Jewfro in Shockoe Bottom, just a short drive from her place. As the name suggests, the restaurant serves dishes that fuse Jewish and African cuisines. How intriguing! How delicious! We sampled the pumpkin pierogi in brown butter, a sandwich of Za’atar crusted steak with chrain-horseradish aioli, and Bissli-crusted schnitzel with lemon-harissa aioli.

My rating: **** out of 5. Our waiter explained that the oils were squeezed out of the tobacco in the cigar but no nicotine would transfer to the syrup. I didn’t ask about the fat wash, and I didn’t detect a bacon-like flavor. The best, most impressive part was the presentation of the drink. Our waiter placed the drink in front of me, then dipped a small blow-torch-like device into a thick syrup, then ignited the torch, which created a bubble. He then delicately placed the bubble into my glass, and it popped, releasing smoke. The smoke lingered, pleasantly filling my nostrils as I took my first few sips. The smoky flavor didn’t linger for too long, however, and I would have liked to have popped the bubble myself! The drink was fun, but didn’t quite meet my flavor expectations.

Final thoughts: I did some research on Jewfro afterwards. In a recent interview, the owners said they created the concept in response to BLM protests. The restaurant is a “show of unity through food” since both Jewish and African cuisines share many similar ingredients. Indeed. I endorse this celebration of similarities and of unity.

Enjoyed: Saturday, October 16, 2021

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

Ingredients: Iron Shoe single barrel whiskey, plum, plum bitters, orange ice cube.

The occasion: This was my last night of my visit to my family in Indiana, and I had an early flight out of South Bend the next morning, so my sister and I stayed at a hotel in Niles, Michigan, just 15 minutes away from the airport. We ventured into downtown Niles for cocktails and supper. 

My rating: **** out of 5. I am assuming the “plum” ingredient was a plum syrup, and this added a raisin-like flavor to the drink, so making it sweeter than a typical Old Fashioned. Even though Michigan is renowned for its cherries, there was not a single cherry to be found (gasp!) in this version of the drink. I remember picking plums once, in an orchard in Michigan, so I suspect the plums used were a local product.

Final thoughts: I have had my share of Michigan-made fruit wines (I liked them better when I was younger), but I don’t recall ever sampling whiskey made in Michigan. I ordered a shot to drink alongside the cocktail, and I was impressed with the smoothness and with the punch it packed. I took home a box of their macarons, made with the house spirits, and those were delicious, too.

Enjoyed: Friday, October 15, 2021

Listed on the menu: No, but the bartender quickly agreed to create one for me.

Ingredients:  Maker’s Mark 46 bourbon, simple syrup, muddled orange slice, muddled cherry, soda water, and Angostura bitters. 

The occasion: Day 2 of my visit with my mother was stressing me a bit. Mama refused to rest, and I knew she needed her regular after-lunch nap.  I told her I was going to drive and look for a sandwich and that I would be back no sooner than an hour. This bar was conveniently only a 5 minute drive from the nursing home–and the bar served well-rated food.

My rating: *** out of 5. The bartender didn’t ask me for my whiskey preference, and he selected Maker’s Mark 46, which is a bit stronger than regular Maker’s Mark (109.6 versus 90 proof). I inwardly gasped when I watched him pour me a double shot. I had to extend my lunch hour a bit, needless to say, because I felt that drink!  I wonder if I looked like I needed a double. As I was paying, he asked if he had made the cocktail correctly, since he rarely gets called on to make them. “It was fine, just fine,” I assured him.

Final thoughts: I commented to the bartender that I don’t usually see Old Fashioneds made with soda water, except in the Chicago area. I later learned that the addition of soda water (or even lemon-lime soda) makes this a “Wisconsin Old Fashioned”. I suppose if you are drinking double shots of strong bourbon, and living in the shadow of The City of The Big Shoulders, you are wise to add a little more water.