After a number of failures and close hits, I finally perfected the Old Fashioned at home. At least for my own tastes. This one was made with Henry McKenna bourbon. Here is my recipe:
2/3 teaspoon of suger with 2 dashes of bitters and a spritz of water. Stir to dissolve all of the sugar. Add a maraschino cherry along with a teaspoon of the cherry juice. Lightly muddle the cherry. Add two shots of your bourbon of choice. Chill in freezer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes add ice, preferable a block of ice, as it has less surface area to melt and water down the drink. Add an orange slice or orange rind shaving. Enjoy!
I have a little story about Henry McKenna. So I had one of my first Old Fashioned a couple of years ago at a local restaurant and it was really good. So I asked the bartender what kind of bourbon she used. She said it was Henry McKenna. Well, I had to get a bottle of this great tasting bourbon that made such a good Old Fashioned. Several days later I was at an ABC store looking for Henry McKenna and I could not find it. I remember thinking it must be some good bourbon that isn’t common, so I asked the cashier if they carried Henry McKenna and he said, “Yes we do, it is over here.” He then proceeded to the far bottom shelf of the bourbon area where the $9 bottle of Henry McKenna sat. Huh, well how about that! It was the cheap stuff! That was alright by me because I liked it and I still do today. The added bonus is that it is the cheap stuff!
