The Old Fashioned

The fall is upon us, and everywhere whisky drinkers rejoice.

The fall is my favorite season. The turning of the leaves and the dropping of the temperatures somehow make my pale complexion and bald head and beard look just a bit less stupid. It also means that marathon eating days are upon us (Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yes. Just, YES.) and that whisky just tastes better. Something about a scotch on a cold day feels appropriate. Though for bartenders everywhere, this can be a harrowing season.

Unlike the mojito, which  even the greenest of bartenders can throw together, whisky cocktails are like angry wives; not to be handled by amateurs. Manhattans are a the measuring stick by which I measure other bartenders, as taught to me by my teacher, but Old Fashioned's are another monster entirely.

Much like peace in the middle east and the Batman vs. Superman conflict, how to make a perfect old fashioned is not agreed upon and can actually draw blood. I've seen it.

I've decided to let the Master handle this one. Those of you who have read my blog before know my good friend and teacher, Bear. I asked him about the old fashioned. Here's what he had to say.

Alex Davin, Lincoln

Do you like whisky?
Ahhhh, yea, that would be a yes. Next.

Just...yes.

What's an example of a bad OF?
Oh, I've had 100. You walk into a bar you don't know and think about getting a fancier drink but gotta dip in your toe to test the water, my go to is a Manhattan. It's classic but simple, and really is used to see how good the bartender is. If a bartender can make a decent Manhattan, I feel better about gambling with an Old Fashioned.

Muddled Old Fashioned's are popular and are a travesty. They're neon red grape colored and filled with all the crappy stuff. I've had a few and I say keep the garbage out of my drink. I don't want a salad I want a drink."

The best example of a bad OF is probably the time that you were going to roll out your newest menu and I needed to teach you one last lesson. We went to a newly opened DC bar on an off night (tuesday, I think...) and looked at the menu. It had some classic cocktails on there, so we ordered a few. I ordered the drink that was a play on an OF, and you ordered the pisco sour.

*Eric's note: that pisco sour was truly horrific. Egg yoke in the drink. Nightmares are founded on less.

We had one sip so you could understand the lesson: your staff will undoubtedly fuck up your recipes. Sorry. That's life. I made you take one or two more after so you wouldn't forget it.

We tipped and left. It takes a deft hand to make [an old fashioned] well.

What's the biggest mistake that bartenders make when making an OF?

Muddled fruit. I know people that like it are of an older generation, but it just ruins it! That and bartenders go too light on the bitters. Don't be afraid, I need more than a dash.

What Whisky do you prefer to use?
High proof bourbon or a bold rye (over 100 proof, maybe bonded)

It's a man's drink, its supposed to kick you in the ass.

Will you share your recipe?
Not a huge secret.

Make rich simple syrup (2pts sugar in the raw to 1 part water)
Puddle upsimple syr the bottom of the mixing glass (I don't measure, depends on the whisky, but usually around a half ounce)
5 dash angostura (That's right! FIVE!)
2 oz whisky, some people call, I like to default to Jim Beam Rye
Build the cocktail with no ice to have the bitters mix into the simple syrup, add ice and strain onto an oversized 2x2 ice cube, garnish with a big orange zest and home-made bourbon cherries.

What's the funniest story of that drink being sent back?
Well, this guy came in, young early 20s on a date, not a first date but not far off, and asked for an OF. I made it with the forementioned recipe, which in my unbiased opinion is fucking delicious.

The guy comes up to the bar from a table and asks: "Where's the muddled fruit?"

Well, that's the way we make it here," I reply. He quickly says, "but the muddled fruit is the best part!"

So I "fixed" it, but it was weird having a giant ice cube with muddled fruit. Though as you know, people like to drink the way they like to drink, but I just think my way is better.

Failure

I am not good at failing.

It's no secret to anyone who knows me that I hate to lose. I am competitive by nature. This drives my wife crazy because I need to win. Adversaries make me work hard, and their doubt makes me work harder.

"I like the idea, but you have failed in the execution," my owner told me as I served him a dish that Chef and I worked tirelessly on.

It was a bit of a shock to me; I'm not used to failure. It was the certainty of the word "failure" that really hit me. He didn't suggest it needed to be tweaked. He didn't say "It's ok, but I don't love it." He told me I failed.

And he was right.

It took me a bit of time to really surrender to that realization, but once I did, I found myself almost relieved. As the General Manager of Mate Lounge, it is my charge to come out with a brand new food and drink menu for the fall. This, for those of you who don't know, is a daunting task.

The owner of the Lounge asked me if I had read his blog, which I had. It's appropriately called "I Love Failure" and it turned out that his use of the dreaded "F" word was far more honest than I was expecting or prepared for.

It is not often that you get to speak with someone who has succeeded (and failed, as it turns out) in so many ventures in his life. I assume that he saw me go tight-lipped and stopped and said "Now that you know you have failed, try something different."

I share this because of the importance of persistence in these little moments. Creative pursuits such as food and drink are beset on all sides with traps that you can fall into, and losing sight that sometimes everyone doesn't share the quirks of your pallet is a dangerous game. Sometimes you just have to let go.

So, I kept working. And Mate's new food and drink menu is dangerously close to being done.

Thomas Edison, besides being a thief and a bit of a fraud (See: The Oatmeal Comic on Tesla and how Edison stole his ideas....) did say something I find very useful:

"I have not failed 10,000 times. I have successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work."

Don't be afraid to fail. It doesn't hurt as bad as it seems.