Comments on: Don Draper’s no-nonsense old-fashioned for two

By: Laughing Cocktail » Blog Archive » 5 Cocktail Trends for a New Decade

Laughing Cocktail » Blog Archive » 5 Cocktail Trends for a New Decade — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 11:05:33 +0000

[...] the “hard shake”: ones made with foams and “caviar”, good old-fashioned old fashioneds, and even solid cocktails. It almost got a little tiresome to hear the word “speakeasy” [...]

By: DG

DG — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 12:41:59 +0000

Draper made more or less a traditional old fashioned, normally made with bourbon but rye will do. We’ll just call it a rye old fashioned or Overholt old fashioned. At least that’s how I’d order it in a bar. I think he muddles a cherry in with the sugar and bitters and throws a orange wedge on top of the whole thing. Some purists would disapprove of the soda water, the cherry, and the orange wedge. There isn’t a definitive old fashioned per se, it’s a matter of taste. At my bar we’ve been making overholt old fashioneds and calling them Don Drapers. Hopefully it will catch on.

By: This Week in Mad Men #2

This Week in Mad Men #2 — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 01:54:44 +0000

[...] Jacob Burch shared Don Draper’s recipe for an Old Fashioned, interpreted from the Season 3 Episode “My Old Kentucky Home,” in which Don prepares the cocktail for himself and Conrad Hilton at Roger Sterling’s wedding. (Recipe partially adapted from teh blog post on A Dash of Bitters). [...]

By: Bram

Bram — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 04:20:51 +0000

Commenting now that I’ve actually seen the episode … and my tastes and mix has changed. Rye, a sugar cube drenched in angostura, a little fizzy water, two ice cubes. Since there are several Old Fashioned recipes around the house now, that one’s referred to as the old-fashioned Old Fashioned.

Plus, an awesome scene, really.

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:40:27 +0000

Watched that episode’s re-run last evening and was reminded once again that no one ever called the 60′s the “Golden Age of Cocktails.”

When the Beatles returned in early 1964 from their first trip to America, the reception at the airport included scotch served in paper cups! I remember folks back then drinking lots of scotch & soda. 7 & 7. CC & 7. Bourbon & Coke (or any other soft drink). The absolute pit was anything made with Southern Comfort per Playboy recipe inserts! No wonder someone once said the 60′s lone contribution (?!) to cocktail culture was the martini on the rocks.

My mom liked Dad to make her old fashioned with bourbon & what she called “a lot of fruit salad.” But never club soda! Today, I make my wife’s manhattans with Sazerac 6 yr bought by the case in Newport, KY — 2 parts rye stirred with 1 part Vya sweet vermouth & Angostura orange bitters. Pour over a cherry & slip a tsp of syrup down the side of the stemmed glass.

By: Old Fashioned Welcomed Comeback | B12 Solipsism

Old Fashioned Welcomed Comeback | B12 Solipsism — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 23:24:32 +0000

[...] You’d have to add Mad Men chic to the equation too: the Old Fashioned was Don Draper’s signature drink, the drink that won him Connie Hilton’s ad business, as described amusingly at A Dash of Bitters. [...]

By: Sean W.

Sean W. — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:37:38 +0000

There’s quite a few slipshod cocktails going on in that show (though it makes me want to drink all day nonetheless). What would you call Roger’s 2/3 of a glass of Smirnoff topped off with milk? Or the weekend cocktail Don and Betty drink at times, 2/3 of a glass of vodka with a splash of tomato juice.

And please bemoan rye shortages carefully… lest you be stricken with the shortage I have in puritanesque Maine. Old Overholt, Jim Beam Rye, Sazerac, and (ri)1, which is definitely not worth the price difference. No Wild Turkey Rye, nothing over 80 proof, And definitely no Rittenhouse.

Glad I stumbled on this blog, looking for Don’s rounded-bottom, gold-rimmed rocks glasses online.

-s

By: Joe

Joe — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:23:30 +0000

Funny thing is, Old Overholt at one point was 86-proof, and I had the opportunity to try it side-by-side with today’s 80-pf offering, which is perfectly decent rye and very well-priced.

The 86-proof was better =:-(

*Sigh*

Thank God for Rittenhouse BIB.

By: Michael Dietsch

Michael Dietsch — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:20:10 +0000

Good work, Doc. The funny thing is, I knew the Overholt scene was coming up. Jen didn’t. So in our case, she was the one to blurt it out. Awesome.

Benito, good sleuthing. I didn’t notice that.

Bram, I never shake my OFs, but I do sometimes swap in various liqueurs for the simple syrup. It’s a versatile drink that way and rewards experimentation. I think my favorite is Benedictine!

Pantagruel: You’re right about the seltzer. I didn’t add any. The only water I use in an OF is a splash of warm water from the tap, alongside the bitters, to help dissolve the sugar. It would have been a better drink had I added more water myself.

Doug: Good work, Pegu man! If I had my way, I’d keep several ryes on hand all the time. In fact, probably everything currently bottled except for Beam.

Dave: Several places in Providence carry the baby Saz these days. In fact, Saz and Wild Turkey are probably the most common ryes you can find around. Gracie’s usually keeps the Saz, and so does La Laterie. In fact, not only does La Laterie carry the Saz rye, but the barman makes a pretty good Sazerac cocktail as well. Finding a good Sazerac cocktail in Providence was a happy discovery!

By: dave

dave — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 02:36:22 +0000

At one point in time, Gasbarro’s carried Saz 6 yr. Julian’s used to have it behind the bar and I think that’s where they were getting it from. Now, my question is, how roundly should one be mocked not only for recognizing that bottle of Overholt instantly, but also for remembering which stores carry which ryes in a state he hasn’t lived in for 2 years?