The recipe
Maple & Hickory Old Fashioned
Makes 1 drink. Caramel, vanilla and baking spice from new charred oak. The classic backbone.
Ingredients
| 2 oz60 ml | Bourbon100 proof |
| ¼ oz7 ml | Maple syrupGrade A dark |
| 2 dashes | Angostura bitters |
| 1 dash | Black walnut bitters |
| 1 strip | Orange peelAbout 2 inches, little pith |
| 1 | Luxardo cherry |
| A pinch | Hickory chipsFor smoking the glass |
| 1 | Large ice cube |
Bottles to try
$Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond · Wild Turkey 101 · Buffalo Trace
$$Knob Creek 9 Year · Woodford Reserve
$$$Russell's Reserve Single Barrel
$ under $40 · $$ $40–70 · $$$ $70+ · typical 750 ml price
Method
- Smoke the glass first. Light hickory chips with a smoking gun or torch, trap the smoke under a cloche or the upturned rocks glass, and leave it covered.
- Add the maple syrup and bitters to a mixing glass.
- Pour in the whiskey. Fill the mixing glass with ice and stir for 30 seconds, until the outside is cold to the touch.
- Uncover the smoked glass. Add one large cube to the rocks glass and strain the drink over it.
- Express the orange peel over the drink, skin side down. Rub it around the rim and drop it in.
- Add a luxardo cherry on a pick.
Batch for 8
Making it for a crowd? Mix ahead, chill, and pour.
Ingredients
| 16 oz475 ml · 2 cups | Bourbon100 proof |
| 2 oz60 ml | Maple syrupGrade A dark |
| 16 dashes≈ 2 ½ tsp | Angostura bitters |
| 8 dashes≈ 1 ¼ tsp | Black walnut bitters |
| 4 oz120 ml | Cold waterStands in for stirring dilution |
| 8 strips | Orange peelAbout 2 inches, little pith |
| 8 | Luxardo cherries |
| A pinch | Hickory chipsFor smoking the glass |
| 8 | Large ice cubes |
Method
- In a pitcher or bottle, combine the whiskey, maple syrup and bitters.
- Add 4 oz of cold water. This replaces the dilution you'd get from stirring.
- Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or in the freezer for 1 hour.
- Just before serving, smoke each glass with hickory chips and keep it covered until you pour.
- Pour 2 ⅞ oz per glass over one large cube.
- Express the orange peel over each drink, skin side down. Rub it around the rim and drop it in.
- Add a luxardo cherry on a pick.