It’s Sunday night, so what better way to unwind and prepare for Monday morning than with a cocktail? Actually, this post is for my best friend, who introduced me to Old-Fashioneds one very drunken night ago.
Before then, I’d chosen a martini because I loved the glass, but then the mixologist would ask you how you wanted it (aren’t all cocktails wet?) and I’d look bemused and the poser I was.
You don’t get that with an Old-Fashioned – it makes you look like you know your cocktails and are totally sophisticated (I mean, if Don Draper drinks them, they’ve got to be cool, right?)
Anyway, this week is Old-Fashioned Week and so, in remembrance of that night I can’t remember, I thought I’d share a couple of recipes I have. They use Glen Moray, a Speyside whisky made not far from where my in-laws were living when me and Mr 50Sense first got together.
I’d never really liked whisky before I moved to Scotland (it always brought up memories of cheap blends being foisted on me at New Year’s Eve), but discovering the different distilleries and how the land and water influenced the taste was a real eye-opener. Now I like it more than Mr 50Sense.
Plus, anything that reminds me of Speyside and the Moray Firth and my friends up there is to be cherished. If you ever get the chance to visit that part of Scotland, do. It is one of the most beautiful parts of the world, never mind just the UK. The views are amazing, there are dolphins in the water and when you look in to the night sky, you see the heavens in all their glory. Now that’s worth raising a glass to.
Enjoy!
Glen Moray Elgin Classic Old Fashioned
Ingredients:
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50ml Glen Moray Elgin Classic Single Malt
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One white sugar cube
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Three dashes Angostura bitters
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Teaspoon of water
Method:
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In a rocks glass, muddle the sugar cube, bitters and water until smooth.
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Add cubed ice.
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Pour over the whisky and stir, diluting the drink.
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Keep stirring, adding more ice, until the sugar has fully dissolved and your cocktail is perfectly balanced.
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Garnish with a twist of orange zest, expressed over the glass and two cocktail cherries.
Glen Moray Port Cask Finish Old Fashioned
Ingredients:
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60ml Glen Moray Port Cask Finish
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15ml Earl Grey syrup (mixture of 2:1 brown sugar – strong Earl Grey tea (brewed and chilled down, re-heated together in a pan until sugar has dissolved)
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Three dashes Orange Bitters
Method:
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In a mixing glass, add syrup, bitters and a little of the whisky, stir together.
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Add several large cubes of ice and pour over the remainder of the whisky. Keep stirring for a minute until the drink has diluted.
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Garnish with a thin piece of expressed lemon zest.
Glen Moray photos: Simon Jessop.
What’s your favourite cocktail? Are you Cosmopolitan, Old-Fashioned or straight-down Sex on the Beach? Let me know below!
