When you order an Old Fashioned, you do so with certainty. After all, the recipe has stood for well over a century, so the intoxicating – literally – blend of whiskey, simple syrup and bitters with a garnish is practically the same cocktail sipped by Harry Truman.
There is, of course, a caveat. Few classics have survived the era of the mixologist intact. At Salt Wood Kitchen & Oysterette, for example, the house version of the Old Fashioned uses mezcal in place of whiskey as the foundation and substitutes agave for rudimentary bar syrup for a grassy sweetness. It’s a unique interpretation with a smoky haze, yet one that is not so blunt as from some brown spirits.
Union brand mezcal is noted for its gentle, fruity nature, and with a few dashes of orange bitters, the bar’s Hacienda Smoked Old Fashioned carries a savor of candied zest that gives way to notions of overripe pear and key lime pie, all tinted with smoke.
By bolstering the cocktail with citrus and agave, bartenders at Salt Wood lend depth to what is generally considered a mixing mezcal. There’s an herbaceous flutter with a hint of cool mint, an underscore of sodden earth and little pops of black pepper.
The Hacienda is an intense, yet not overpowering, cocktail. On the finish, the smoke wavers and dissipates.
Historians say President Truman used to reprimand staff if his Old Fashioned was not stiff enough. He’d probably be just fine with this one.
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