There are comfort foods – and there are comfort drinks. An old fashioned is one of those comfort drinks. From the first sip to that last drop you know this is what you’ve needed. It has that perfect blend of citrus, sweet, bitters, and booze. It goes down smooth. You wait a bit, and then you know that things really are going to get better.

The Time-tested Recipe

1. Add sugar cube to the glass.
2. Soak cube with angostura bitters and muddle cube.
3. Muddle orange and lemon peels.
4. Add 1 oz water, stir, and roll to coat sides of glass.
5. To two cubes of ice add 2 oz of Maker’s Mark. Stir.
6. Add maraschino cherry (optional).

     Old fashioned recipes abound, so if you find this recipe a bit too sweet, seek out another. There are plenty to choose from.

     If I’m serving an old fashioned as an aperitif, I leave out the sugar, orange, and the cherry). I keep the bitters, lemon peel, water, and the bourbon (or rye whiskey).

     The above old fashioned recipe can serve as an after-dinner drink. But instead I’d rather satisfy my sweet cravings with a decadent dessert.

The return of the classic old fashioned cocktail. Thank you, Don Draper.