Episode 7 - Whiskey Business

In this episode, The Gentlemen of Elegant Leisure once again throw caution and good sense to the wind and set out to drink two cocktails in a little over a 1/2 hour and try to pass their experience on to you.  This time they put the gin bottles away and pull down the ones full of whiskey!  
Setting Mr. Peabody’s “Wayback Machine” to 1838 the boys sample a Whiskey Cocktail made with Anchor Distilling’s Old Potrero 18th Century Style Whiskey.  As it says on Anchor Distilling’s website, “Old Potrero is an attempt to re-create the original whiskey of America, and marks the return of pot-distilled whiskey in the United States. It's distilled in a small copper pot still at Anchor Distillery on San Francisco's Potrero Hill from a mash of 100% rye malt, with rye being the grain of choice for America's first distillers.”  The recipe we used was from David Wondrich’s book “Imbibe!”  Listed as The Original Cocktail and dating from 1806, this drink could be made with gin, rum or brandy.  The whiskey version shows up in print 32 years later.  A long time but well worth the wait!

The Original Cocktail (Whiskey) 1838

2 ounces Old Potrero 18th Century Style Whiskey
3 ounces water
4-5 dashes bitters (Mr. Wondrich calls for Stoughton’s bitters but said Angostura or Peychaud’s would work just fine.  We used Peychaud’s.)
1/2 ounce of sugar syrup
Scrape of nutmeg on top.

This drink has no ice.  Having said that, Mr. Wondrich likes his with ice so we did the same.  Build this drink over ice and grate a little nutmeg on top.  Hello 1838!

After this, the Gentlemen, opted for a whiskey drink from the early 20th Century.  The Blood and Sand named after the 1922 Rudoph Valentino movie.  This time the recipe was from Ted Haigh’s “Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails.”  This is one of the drinks you should use to convince scotch haters that scotch is both fantastic and can work in a cocktail.  Go on.  Try it!

Blood and Sand

1 ounce Scotch (We used Famous Grouse)
1 ounce orange juice
3/4 ounce Cherry Heering
3/4 ounce Sweet Vermouth

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a cocktail cherry


Mmmm, mmm.  Delicious right?  We knew you’d like ‘em.  Now go get some whiskey and we'll see you next time!