MxMO – Limit One
This month’s Mixology Monday is hosted by Rick over at Kaiser Penguin, and is based on the subject of strong drinks you should only have one of in an evening. Rick advises that the cocktails “should contain at least 3oz of 80-proof spirit or have less than 1/2oz of non-spiritness,” which a scary number of drinks I have already covered manage without even breaking out a sweat.
I had originally planned to perhaps tackle a tiki recipe, a style of mixed drink that is famous for its complicated ingredient lists and rum-heavy libations. By the looks of it many have already gone this route, but I’ve been busy with other things lately so just didn’t get around to finding a drink to cover. The grass skirts will have to wait for another time.
Instead I have copped out and gone with one of my favourite ever cocktails, the Old Fashioned. By anyone’s standards the Old Fashioned is a strong drink – a good dose of Bourbon whiskey tempered with just a small amount of sugar syrup and the melt-water from ice. However, I don’t think a regular Old Fashioned deserves to be put in the “one drink only” category… so I made a variation that most certainly does…
A Staggering Old Fashioned
- 3 shots / 90 ml / 3 oz George T. Stagg Bourbon
- ¼ shots / 7.5 ml / ¼ oz sugar syrup
- 3 dashes The Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas’ Own Decanter bitters
- 1 dash Fee Brothers Whiskey-Barrel Aged bitters
- 1 dash Angostura Orange bitters
- Add bitters and sugar syrup to an Old Fashioned glass and fill ¾ with ice. Add half the Bourbon and stir well for a minute or two. Top up the glass with ice as needed, and add the remaining Bourbon. Stir for a further minute then twist a slice of orange zest on the drink and drop in to the glass.
George T. Stagg is a member of Buffalo Trace’s Antique Collection, a series of quality Bourbons and ryes that is released yearly in limited quantities. Unlike most whiskey which is watered down to a more comfortable alcohol content before bottling, Stagg is bottled at the strength it comes out of the cask, making it a whiskey not to be taken lightly. The bottle I have, the 2007 release, weights in at a stunning 144.8 proof!
There’s no hiding the strong whiskey that makes up the base of this Old Fashioned, and it’s certainly a drink for sipping slowly. It takes on a beautiful cloudy appearance, due to the fact George T. Stagg isn’t chill-filtered, making it look almost like a piece of amber. The taste is hard to describe – the intense mixture of whiskey and bitters is a little overwhelming at first, but there are so many flavours flying around you just keeping wanting to come back for more.
Which is rather dangerous, because after one of these I definitely felt like I had drank enough for the evening, especially on a “school” night. A wonderful drink, but definitely one to be drank in moderation. Cheers to Rick for hosting this month’s Mixology Monday – be sure to check Kaiser Penguin in the next few days for the round-up of everyone’s drinks.
Posted in Aromatic Bitters, Bourbon, Mixology Monday, Orange Bitters, Recipes
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March 18th, 2008 at 1:47 am
Wow! I have a bottle of Booker’s Bourbon which is 126 proof and has an incredible taste. I wouldn’t have dreamed of using it in a cocktail . . . until now. I just might have to try this.
March 18th, 2008 at 2:09 am
Ah, Stagg — the most seductive bourbon. I managed to get three bottles this year, after pulling strings with friends a liquor store owners, and am already down to only half a bottle left. It’s good to see you use it here, Jay! Now, how on earth did you find a bottle in the UK?
March 18th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
now that sounds like a true one and done old-fashioned…
March 20th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Hi, love the blog. But, what is “.. The Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas’ Own Decanter bitters..”?
I’ve searched for this and the only ones on the site is Lemon Bitters, Orange Flower Water, Orange Bitters, Aromatic Bitters, and coming soon Celery Bitters (should be interesting)but no Jerry Thomas’ Decanter Bitters?…Help!
March 24th, 2008 at 1:52 am
gilrain – this bottle actually came from the states along with my bottle of Black Maple Hill rye, but The Whisky Exchange here in London also stock it – they even have some of the older years. Though before you get jealous, it costs $200 a bottle for the 2007 edition!
Rob – you can read my review of the Jerry Thomas bitters here. They are a limited edition bottling by The Bitter Truth, based on the original Jerry Thomas recipe. I believe some German online shops have them in stock, though I’m not sure if they are available for international shipping.
March 24th, 2008 at 3:36 am
[...] Jay’s Staggering Old Fashioned [...]
April 11th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
I ran across your website randomly the other day while searching for orange bitters. This drink was intriguing to me since old fashions are my go to drink. Being in the DC area it wasn’t hard to track down the ingredients but I think I might have paid a premium for the George T Stagg.
This is quiet possibly the best old fashion out there. I was worried that the acolhol content would be overpowering but after a few sips the flavors just meld together. Way to go on a great recipe.