re: So I ordered an old-fashioned last night, and bartender puts rock candy in it

Has anyone texted our resident Old Fashioned expert, Arseinclass ?

Beam, powdered sugar, orange jolly rancher, cherry airhead, chocolate milk ice cubes, garnish with a mini muffaletta.

I'll call Oz

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This is why it's silly to act all sanctimonious with regards to cocktails. The original was bourbon, bitters, sugar and water. So you're already messing with a traditional recipe. And that's fine.

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Idk about "sanctimonious," but I probably wouldn't be too pleased if someone put rock candy in my old fashioned without even asking my preference since that isn't something commonly used as a substitute for simple syrup or sugar. ... And yes, the original old fashioned, over a century ago, was made with whiskey, sugar or syrup (brown sugar, maple syrup, & honey were used as well), water, & Angostura bitters, which is the only single ingredient that is exactly the same, hasn't been altered, or shouldn't be, & for which there isn't a substitute. ... Old fashioneds also were originally made/served neat, and some still prefer it, although might want their whiskey chilled. Just a matter of preference, as is a lemon over the standard orange, adding a lime, sprite over club soda or water, and whether it is "sweet" or not - made with/without the fruit & cherry juice or grenadine.

The addition of the orange zest & cherry to the bitters, sugar cube & water mixture when muddling came about a little later. As was soon realized, muddling the cherries wasn't such a great idea since pieces of the meat & skin left floating in the drink aren't exactly desirable, nor does muddling the cherries release or add much flavor to the drink. This is the same for the citrus, whether it's orange or lemon. Most of the flavor doesn't come from the meat of the fruit; it comes from the zest, which is why that is the best way to get the most flavor from the fruit without the pulp being left to float around. If the flavor of the citrus tastes bitter, it means the orange or lemon rind has been cut down too deeply, the same thing with cooking. So, as the recipe evolved many decades ago, the bitters & sugar cubes were muddled with orange zest & a bit of club soda, which helped dissolve the sugar without adding sweetness. Sometimes a splash of cherry juice or grenadine were added to the muddling, but more often were added at the end, after the ice & whiskey, for the desired "ox blood" color of the cocktail, then garnished with a half orange wheel & cherry. ... Also, as with any cocktail, it is personal preference as to what type of liquor is used - whatever tastes best to the person drinking it.

Our "bartender's bible" ~2 decades ago, was the text book of cocktail recipes provided by the bartending school that the food/bev. mgr. of the Peabody recommended since she hired mostly people who went through that program to be additionally trained, afterward, by her & her head bartender. The book wasn't literally titled "Bartender's Bible." That's what WE, the students & the instructors, called it. There are many philosophies, opinions, & schools of thought on mixing cocktails, with a gazillion books for each. Hers & the hotel's followed a more traditional, classic one, that many of the same type of establishments follow, based on their clientele, and which is why I'm pretty much a traditionalist when mixing, or drinking, cocktails.

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Beam, powdered sugar, orange jolly rancher, cherry airhead, chocolate milk ice cubes, garnish with a mini muffaletta.

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Sounds good, glad it's almost supper time. ... But when making an old fashioned, I still do it the old-fashioned way I was trained - I just use Angostura bitters, sugar cube, orange zest, splash of soda, whatever whiskey is preferred (I prefer a decent quality rye), a bit of grenadine or cherry juice, & half an orange wheel & cherry for garnish. ... And I wouldn't want crack rocks or candy or whatever in it; I don't even like simple syrup in mine bc it reminds me too much of a whiskey sour when muddled with the citrus.

There should not be soda in an Old Fashioned. No way.

I definitely prefer it to ginger ale or any clear soft drink. If the customer preferred it, I absolutely used water, but if the customer preferred ginger ale or soft drink, I'd do that too, even though I hated to. I'd usually make one the way they requested, then make another, the standard recipe, on the house, to see which they liked better. Most of the time, they preferred the club soda to the soft drink or ginger ale, mainly because they either had never tried one made with soda, or if they had, too much was used, so it overpowered the whiskey.

The club soda makes the sugar dissolve quicker & more completely when muddling. Some use packets of sugar, but that's usually too sweet & the texture isn't right - too coarse & not crystalline enough. Some places use simple syrup to try to combat that issue, but many times, it ends up tasting like a whiskey sour after muddled with the orange or lemon. We always kept sugar cubes, specifically for old fashioneds.

Many times, people use too much of the mixer when muddling, whether it's water, soda, ginger ale, or whatever. Too much water or soda dilutes the whiskey too much & many people prefer those cocktails neat for that reason. Ginger ale or soft drinks just overpower the drink altogether & were never meant for old fashioneds. There should be just enough mixer - water or soda - to moisten the sugar cube & more bitters than mixer. As a matter of fact, one shouldn't even be able to taste the mixer. People tend to be too heavy handed with that & frequently don't use enough bitters.

I actually prefer simple syrup to sugar cube but both are great.

Drink of choice at the moment is jameson, ginger beer and splash of lime.

Bookmarked. .... Ill give it a shot next weekend.

Its my favorite drink. Not scared.

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I actually prefer simple syrup to sugar cube but both are great.

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It's just a matter of preference on the flavor, and using simple syrup is much quicker, for sure.

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Drink of choice at the moment is jameson, ginger beer and splash of lime.

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I tend to crave certain drinks at different times of the year, depending on the season. I enjoy Jameson during cold weather in Irish Coffee & also like it layered with chilled Bailey's & Kahlua or Frangelico, straight up. ... I found a cocktail recipe a while back from a place in NYC while searching through Pimm's drink recipes that's made with Jameson that is great for the warmer seasons, but it's also really good during the Fall & into the holiday season when mixed with cider sour mix. Generally, I don't care too much for drinks with a lot of lime, but this is a really very good variation of a whiskey sour, and well worth the time ...

EVR's Whiskey Sour
For the Agave Sour Mix: (Summer)
-2 ounces fresh juice from about 2 limes
-1 ounce agave nectar

For the Cider Sour Mix: (Autumn)
-2 ounces fresh juice from lemons (1-2, depending on size)
-1 1/2 - 2 ounces cider syrup*

For the cocktail:
-1 1/2 ounces Jameson Irish whiskey
-1/2 ounce single malt Scotch
-1/4 ounce Pimm's
-1 ounce agave sour mix*
-3 dashes Angostura bitters*
Garnish: orange twist

1. For the Agave Sour Mix: Mix lime juice and agave nectar until dissolved. ... For the Cider Sour mix, same procedure using lemon juice and cider syrup.

2. For Each Cocktail: Add Irish whiskey and Scotch to a mixing glass filled with ice. Add Pimm's, agave sour mix, and Angostura. Shake until well chilled, about 15 seconds. Strain into a coupe glass, garnish with orange twist, and serve. ... Same process when making the cocktail with the cider sour mix, except substitute that for the agave sour mix, and omit bitters.

*Note: For the Autumn months, substitute cider sour mix for the bitters & agave sour mix ...
To make cider syrup, boil a gallon of apple cider in a heavy-bottomed pot, stirring occasionally, until it has reduced to ? (making 2 cups syrup), about 2 hours. Let cool to room temperature and store, refrigerated, in an air-tight container. For extra spice flavor, you can add, to taste, your preference of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, etc. while cooking, if desired.