Enjoyed: Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Listed on the menu: No, but I wasn’t expecting a cocktail menu in a small yet historic pub (“cash or local check only” and “serving the community since 1815”) in a small yet historic town of 719 residents. The bar was well-stocked, however.

Ingredients: Woodford Reserve bourbon, simple syrup, Angostura bitters, muddled orange slice, muddled maraschino cherry.

The occasion: While planning this trip, I looked for a comfortable place to stop for the night between Missouri and Kentucky. I spotted New Harmony, which I recalled learning about in my fourth grade Indiana history class. I suspect I remember this because I was intrigued by the concept of a Utopian society, where education was free and personal wealth was abolished. Sadly, both attempts at establishing such a society (by the Harmonists in 1814-1824 and by Robert Owen in 1825-27) failed, yet its contributions have shaped American life. New Harmony, for example, encouraged scientific research and intellectual curiosity, established the first free library, and opened its public schools to both men and women.

My rating: *** out of 5. The cocktail fulfilled my expectations for the “traditional” Old Fashioned, made by-the-book by a confident young bartender. Woodford was her recommendation for the bourbon, and that’s always a smart choice. 

Final thoughts: New Harmony is a tranquil little town. We walked  from our inn to visit the Roofless Church, and to peek into a few gardens, and then to find supper at the Yellow Tavern. During that entire time outdoors, right before sunset, we did not see another human being or a single moving car. We remarked that it felt like we were on a movie set, or perhaps transported to a post-death location like the characters on a TV show such as The Good Place or The Twilight Zone. There were people inside the Yellow Tavern, and as I sipped my cocktail and munched on my pork tenderloin, I decided that New Harmony was a lovely place to visit.

Enjoyed: Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Listed on the menu: Yes, as “Rock Island Old Fashioned”.  All the cocktails on the menu were railroad-themed, which is appropriate since this location was once the world’s largest and busiest passenger rail terminal.

Ingredients:  Muddled orange and brandied cherries, sugar cube, house-made bitters, brandied cherry juice, and Four Roses Yellow Label bourbon, served over ice.

The occasion: We spent the morning at Gateway Arch National Park (at the museum and then actually riding to the top of The Arch) and the early afternoon on a boat ride on the Mississippi River. After a late lunch, we decided to visit Union Station’s Grand Hall for a number of reasons: the location is historic, built in 1894 and still retaining its 65-foot high barrel-vaulted ceiling, detailed frescos, original stained glass, and stunning mosaics; Husband loves all things railroad-related; and there was a bar.

My rating: **** out of 5. This drink was a only a bit sweeter than I prefer, probably because of three (!!) muddled cherries at the bottom and the addition of a tiny bit of juice. Four Roses bourbon has a high note of cherry to start, yet I didn’t find the flavor overwhelming, but simply pleasant.

Final thoughts: Our timing was perfect! We were served our cocktails about 4:30 PM, and then sat and took in all the architectural details. Our server told us the light show would begin at 5 PM, so we sipped even more slowly. Wow! The lights were dimmed, and soon we watched the animated lights as they outlined the features of the frescos and then danced along the vaults of the ceiling. Next came projections of birds in flight, hovering Chinese lanterns, blooming flowers, and exploding fireworks. Wow! (Hilton Hotels commissioned this especially for the Grand Hall. Thank you!) This was the most impressive cocktail hour I have ever experienced!

Enjoyed: Sunday, April 3, 2022

Listed on the menu: No, but the bartenders were happy to oblige me. 

Ingredients:  Michter’s US*1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Demerara sugar, Angostura Bitters, orange peel.

The occasion: Husband and I had just said goodbye to our family members (sniffle! it’s always hard to part from my “baby boy”), and I needed to drown my sorrows…and, downtown Louisville has several distilleries, so we would be remiss to not visit at least one. We had to make a reservation for a spot at the bar, but it was worth the 30 minute wait. The bar prides itself on its imported-from-the-UK glassware and on its state-of-art ice machines. (Yes, my drink contained one of the largest and clearest ice cubes I have ever seen. I was impressed.) Husband opted for a bourbon flight, to start. Oh, and the staff provided us free snacks to nibble on as we sipped, so we settled in and ordered a second round of cocktails from their creative menu.

My rating: ***** out of 5. I told the bartenders that the cocktail I had the previous night was a disappointment. One of them replied, “Let me fix that for you!” She did! This Old Fashioned was superior: well-balanced in flavors, with the earthy yet sweet notes of the bourbon shining through. The more I sipped, the better it smelled and tasted, which is what I want from my bourbon.

Final thoughts: I would happily visit here again. Since reservations were required, the number of guests were limited, which allowed the staff to be attentive to our questions and to have time to carefully craft each and every cocktail. I felt like more of a guest than a customer, which is becoming a rarity, isn’t it?

Enjoyed: Saturday, April 2, 2022

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

Ingredients: Old Forester Bourbon, Simple Syrup, Angostura Bitters and Orange Bitters

The occasion: Louisville was the first stop on our spring break driving tour, and we booked two nights at the iconic Brown Hotel, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and noted for its Southern charm and Georgian-Revival elegance. However, the best part was the mini-family reunion that fell into place: Sister-in-law drove down from Indianapolis; Oldest Son and Sweet Jenn drove up from Nashville; and Jenn’s parents even flew in, just to finally meet us in person! We celebrated with a few rounds of cocktails at the Lobby Bar and during supper in the hotel’s dining room.

My rating: *** out of 5. The bartender was very busy with a very large crowd, so perhaps there wasn’t time for a special touch of magic. The drink was solid, but not memorable. I believe the bourbon-snob in me would have preferred a finer, more complex bourbon than the basic Old Forester. And the handful of ice cubes in the glass diluted the drink much too quickly.

Final thoughts: I had high expectations for my first-ever Old Fashioned in Louisville, and at the city’s most famous hotel, no less. Yet the drink didn’t captivate me nearly as much as the lush environment–and the good company–did. My warm fuzzy at the end of the weekend wasn’t from the alcohol, but from the amazing people who went out of their way to spend time with lil’ old me.

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!