Ahead of this week’s Manchester Loves Cocktail’s event, About Manchester was invited along to the Northern Quarter’s Tariff and Dale bar to learn the art of making an Old Fashioned.
An Old Fashioned, brand ambassador for American Bourbon Woodford Reserve Nate Booker, should take twenty minutes to make. Faced with an array of bitters, syrups, citrus fruits, nuts, berries and yes even Parmesan cheese, we were wondering whether that might be a gross understatement.
For those not up to date with cocktail etiquette, the Old Fashioned dates from 1862 and a book written by an American bar tender Jerry Thomas containing a recipe for an Old Fashioned Holland Gin Cocktail: “Crush a small lump of sugar in a whiskey glass containing a little water, add a lump of ice, two dashes of Angostura bitters, a small piece of lemon peel, one jigger Holland gin. Mix with small bar spoon. Serve.”
Folklore says the phrase originates simply from the order to make a cocktail the old fashioned way.
That way is according to Wikipedia, made by muddling sugar with bitters, then adding alcohol, such as whiskey or brandy, and a twist of citrus rind.
So there we have it, here whiskey is substituted for the Woodford Reserve, made for over two hundred years in the grasslands of Kentucky USA, slowly adding sugars and bitters, mixed with copious amounts of ice and of course the Bourbon.
Eventually we have our drink, worryingly lighter than the others in the room, but down to the liberal use of elderflower, which Nate tells us tastes of a cider and recommends the use of lemon rind to finish the job.
We timed that at ten minutes and can confirmed it tasted very nice
Tariff and Dale are running a number of events over the next week as part of Manchester Loves Cocktails
Wednesday 10th August
Whisky & Coffee – Baristas & Bartenders
13:00 – 14:30 Tariff & Dale
Woodford Reserve & Ancoats coffee partner to explain the origins and techniques of classic coffee cocktails.
Thursday 11th August
‘The Art of The Old Fashioned’ Dinner
19:00 – 22:00 Tariff & Dale
A tasting event with Woodford Reserve that explores the history of pairing whisky with food.
Sunday 14th August
‘The Art of The Old Fashioned’
16:00 – 17:30 Tariff & Dale
A tasting event with Woodford Reserve brand ambassador Nate Booker where guests will learn to make the perfect ‘Old Fashioned’ cocktail.
