Old Fashioned

For a few years, I would order Old Fashioneds at restaurants, taverns, and bars, to gauge whether the bartenders were any good or not. It's not a complicated cohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifcktail, but that's exactly why it was a good determiner of whether the bar was any good or not. Screw up an Old Fashioned, and it made me wonder whether they were good at making anything.

Anyway, my favorite "in the field" Old Fashioned came from the Gemini Bistro, a really great little place on Lincoln Avenue that happens to serve wonderful food, as well. Nice atmosphere, great food, great service, and a great bar. Great great great!

Their "Velvety Old Fashioned" was easily the best one I'd had, so I set about trying to match it. The ingredients: Maker's Mark, Cointreau, Angostura Bitters. Plus the requisite maraschino cherries and the orange slice.

The challenge, of course, is the proportions. I think I have it sussed out:

Velvety Old Fashioned

1 jigger of Cointreau
2 jiggers of Maker's Mark
1 jigger of Simple Syrup
2-3 dashes of Bitters

Mix and serve in an Old Fashioned glass, garnished with two cherries and a slice of orange, over ice.

The above produces an Old Fashioned that is very, very close to the exemplary one they make at the Gemini Bistro. I think the bit of simple syrup is the key -- the sweetness of it anchors the spirits, making it strong-yet-smooth, always a good quality in a cocktail.

Of course, you're more than encouraged to drop by the Gemini to try it for yourself. It's a marvelous cocktail, and the Gemini Bistro is a marvelous little place!