There are so many food recipes on my blog, I realized I have never provided a drink recipe. So today we are making the Best Smokin’ Whiskey Old Fashioned! Nancy took me to Agua Caliente Casino in Palm Desert for Father’s Day and they happened to have a great Cigar Lounge named the Pivat Lounge. Nancy knows me well and had put together an awesome weekend. Apparently, the bartenders at the Cigar Lounge are well-known for their Old Fashioneds. Since I am always open to a new experience, I started the night with one. And they got me hooked!

What Makes a Good Old Fashioned

The basic recipe is simple; whiskey, simple syrup, and bitters. Here is the tricky part. Just like in any food recipe, you might for example use Prime Beef instead of Choice when making a steak. The point is that let’s at least give our drink a good chance for success by using a decent bourbon/whiskey. I have a couple of good bourbons in my bar at home, so I decided to use Eagle Rare. I usually have a bottle of Angels Envy which is a reasonably-priced mid-range bourbon that I typically have at home as my go-to, (but I was out.) So I stepped up a bit and went for the Eagle Rare.

Now that I know which whiskey to use; how about the bitters? I have never been a big cocktail person so I am still learning. I think I found two good bitters to use for my Old Fashion; Regans’ Orange Bitters and Fee Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters. A couple of dashes of each brought me the flavor I wanted. You can never go wrong with Angostura if that’s all you can find.

How about the garnishments? We need our drink to not only taste good but to look good also. These garnishes are not just for looks though. We need to add the oils from an orange peel. We do that by pressing the peel over the glass lengthwise and then we rub the outside of the peel along the rim of the glass. Give the peel and a little twist and into the glass it goes!

If you want to have a little fun when making some drinks for your friends; try flashing the orange peel. Cut a two-inch round peel from the orange. Light a match while you squeeze the peel over your drink

Let’s talk about the cherry. One of those bright red maraschino cherries is not the way to go. Way too sweet! The one brand of Maraschino cherry that I consistently viewed as one of the best was the Luxardo Cherry.

Let’s not forget about the ice. You need to be using the largest ice cube that will fit into your Old Fashioned Glass. I bought this “True Cubes Chrystal Clear Ice Cube Maker” The cubes are 2″ x 2″ and perfect for our drink. We want the large cube so that the ice melts slower and does not dilute your perfect drink! I have never seen ice cubes so clear!

So What About the Smoke?

I didn’t forget. I thought I would save the most interesting aspect of my recipe for the end! When I was at the Privat Cigar Lounge at Agua Caliente, the bartenders presented the Old Fashion with hickory smoke under a glass cloche.

Great presentation, right? Not only does the drink present well, but the flavor from the smoke adds a different touch to the Old Fashioned. As I mentioned above, the bartenders from the cigar lounge got me hooked! And since I am a gadget guy, I had to buy my own smoking gun.

The above image is the smoking gun that I bought. And it works great. The perfect amount of smoke to take your drink to the next level! Check out my video below!

I hope you enjoy my version of an Old Fashioned. I’m thinking I may have just got myself into a very enjoyable hobby! Time to toast (with an Old Fashioned in hand) To the health (Salud, Slainte, Kanpai, etc) to all those reading my blog, and as always, thanks for Spending Time in My Kitchen!

The Best Smokin’ Whiskey Old Fashioned

Recipe by David Frank – Spending Time In My Kitchen

5.0 from 1 vote

Serving

Prep time

minutes

Ingredients

2 Oz Eagle Rare Bourbon (Use your favorite bourbon)
2 tsp Turbinado Sugar Simple syrup (Using your bar spoon)
2 Dashes Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters
2 Dashes Regan’s #6 Orange Bitters
1 Large ice cube
Garnish
Orange slice peel
Luxardo brand cherry

Directions

Make Your Simple Syrup
Add water and turbinado sugar in a 1:1 ratio in a small saucepan. I used one cup of Turbinado sugar and 1 cup of water. This obviously gave me extra so that I could practice making my Old Fashioneds. The simple syrup will last a good month or two in the fridge in a closed-lid bottle.
Place the saucepan on the stove over medium heat until all the sugar has dissolved. It will take some stirring to ensure all the sugar dissolves completely. Set syrup aside to cool down completely. Should take about 3 to 5 minutes for your sugar to dissolve.
When the syrup has cooled completely, pour the syrup into a closed container or bottle. set aside until needed.
Make the Old Fashioned
Add simple syrup to your glass. Add your bitters
Add your large cubed ice. (Use your 2-inch square mold for the ice if you have one. A large ice cube will help prevent a watered-down drink)
Add your bourbon and while using your bartender’s spoon give your drink a good stir.
Use your peeler or paring knife to slice off a 2-inch peel from the orange. Use a light touch. You do not want the pith in your slice which will make your drink bitter.
Bend the slice in half lengthwise over your glass to express the orange oils. Using the outside of the orange peel, rub the orange peel around the top of your glass. Then twist the slice and add it to your drink.
Add your cherry and enjoy!!
Additional Optional Steps
To enhance your presentation try the following:
Let’s flame a slice of orange. Cut a two-inch circle from your orange. Point the outer edge of the circle towards the glass. Light a match and then bend your orange slice pointing at your glass and you will see flame expelling orange oil towards the glass.
Let’s add a little smoke to your drink. Add some hickory or oak chips to the bowl of your smoking gun. Place a glass cloche over your drink and follow the instructions of your smoking gun. Amazon has plenty of sets for a smoking gun that will include all that you need to make the perfect smoked drink.