![]() ![]() Bourbon must be aged in new, freshly charred oak containers. Bourbon must be made from a mash of at least 51% corn. When we talk about the definition of bourbon, we’re talking about the same federal requirements you’re likely well familiar with, including the following: How the Bourbon Definition Protects American Whiskey That one thing is the federal definition of “bourbon whiskey.” At the time, the country’s largest whiskey producers were petitioning the predecessor of the current Tax and Trade Bureau (the TTB), the Federal Alcohol Administration, in an effort to change what they could get away with calling “bourbon” or “rye whiskey.” If they had succeeded, the quality controls that had been in place since the start of the 1900s would have been upended, allowing an extremely questionable array of products to enter the market while being labeled as “bourbon.” But why did the distilleries want this in the first place? And how did bourbon manage to survive? It’s probably the biggest “what if” in bourbon history. Change this one thing–a change that the distilling industry was requesting at the time–and the entire bourbon whiskey renaissance of the 2000s likely never happens. But there’s one point in particular in the late 1960s/early 1970s that could easily have irrevocably changed bourbon as we know it. Bourbon, like other spirits, has been through some great ups and downs over the decades (and centuries), seeing its popularity and cultural cache ascend to great heights and then come plummeting down. To those who discovered bourbon in the last decade, it likely feels like this obsession with American whiskey has always been there, that this is the natural state of affairs. The last decade-plus has been marked by an explosion of consumer interest in bourbon that began with Pappy Van Winkle fetishism in the 2000s and gradually morphed to include an inexhaustible supply of so-called limited edition releases that now crowd the shelves at package stores. It’s easy to take for granted at this point the enduring popularity–the mania, really–of bourbon whiskey in the American spirits market. There was even an "ambiguous newspaper squib" that mentioned old-fashioned drinks as early as 1869.This piece is part of a series of essays on alcohol history. David Wondrich points out in his book "Imbibe!" that this is false: The club opened in 1881, but a year before that, "old-fashioned cocktails" were mentioned in the Chicago Tribune. The Pendennis Club Mythįor decades, the creation of the old-fashioned was attributed to the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Read more about how to batch cocktails here. To serve, measure out 2 1/2 to 3 ounces of the mixed cocktail and pour it over a large ice cube in a glass.Give the drink a stir or shake every so often to hasten this process. The sugar may not dissolve right away, but it will dissolve over time. Mix the ingredients together, place in a serving vessel, and chill well.Once you have your ingredients, measure them out according to the math you did in Steps 1 and 2.Remember that alcohol is usually sold in 750mL bottles. Use the resulting numbers to help you figure out how many bottles of whiskey you'll need to buy.Bitters tend to become more pronounced over time in batched cocktails so you don't need to use as much. For the bitters, divide the number you got in Step 1 by 2. ![]() Use granulated sugar instead of sugar cubes. Multiply each ingredient by the number of servings you want to make.To mix a large batch of Old-Fashioneds for a party, follow these steps: The Old-Fashioned is a very simple drink, but mixing them one at a time for a crowd is still time-consuming. Some whiskeys can even handle unusual flavors such as chocolate, peach, or rhubarb. Orange bitters are nice, and any whiskey barrel-aged bitters are a natural accent for the drink. Angostura aromatic bitters are the classic choice, though today's market includes a great variety of bitters.Some bartenders pair a lemon peel with certain whiskeys and some use both orange and lemon peels. The earliest old-fashioneds barely used the fruit as a garnish. Adding an orange slice or peel to the muddle is a modern twist.Alternatively, use a splash (barely 1 teaspoon) of simple syrup instead of granulated sugar, mixing it with the bitters before adding ice and whiskey.When using granulated sugar (rather than a cube), it's common to add 1 teaspoon of water, then stir until the sugar dissolves.It's a nice drink but many bartenders have reverted to the simpler version. For much of the 20th century, the old-fashioned was muddled with an orange slice and topped with a splash of club soda and a maraschino cherry. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |