Old Fashioned Week 2021 : Rum & Rye

Tomorrow I have a busy day ahead, so let's round up #oldfashionedweek with this delicious drink based on a mix of Rum and Rye. I got a little bit inspired by drinks I saw on the Instagram page of my friend Matthias. I experimented a bit with different bottles, but these two premium spirits blended nicely.

Saint James VSOP is a pure cane rum aged for 4 years on new American oak barrels and selected ex-Bourbon oak barrels. The combination results in a good balance and a deep and lively intensity. Lots of vanilla, cinnamon and candied fruits. 

Pikesville is a straight rye whiskey by Heaven Hill Distillery, produced in Kentucky. Lots of flavours in this spirit. Cacao, sweet liquorice, vanilla, crème caramel. Then it gets fruity and the more spicy notes come to the front. Rye, oak and cloves. Lots of cinnamon and apricot in the finish.   

Rum & Rye Old Fashioned

Ingredients
30 ml Pikesville Straight Rye Whiskey
30 ml Saint James Rum VSOP
10 ml Simple Syrup
2 dashes of Angostura Aromatic bitters
2 dashes of Angostura Orange bitters

Method
Make it the American way, quick and dirty. Add everything to a tumbler with ice cubes. Stir for 15 seconds. Garnish with orange. Enjoy. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Old Fashioned Week 2021 : Johnnie Walker

One of the most frequent questions I get is “Should you also use the better and more expensive spirits for cocktails? Isn’t that a shame for those finely crafted liquids?”.

I can understand why people ask this question, but let’s compare it with the work of a Chef in a fine dining restaurant. Do they cook their fantastic dishes with high-quality ingredients? Or do they use cheap stuff? 

I do agree that some spirits are absolutely outstanding and that you should at least try them neat to experience the full aroma and taste. But I don’t see any objection to using them in a well-balanced recipe. The Old Fashioned is a perfect example of a recipe that always puts the spotlight on the base spirit. 

”And what about blended whisky?”. In every liqueur store, you will find cheap blends that are mostly sold to mix with cola. But you will also find the better kind of blends, in most cases, they are blends of just a few excellent malts. 

Johnnie Walker is one of the best known blended whisky brands in the world. The range starts with the (cheap) Red Label that’s behind almost every bar in this world, but they also have better quality blends in the Black, Gold and Blue Label. 

Recently Johnnie Walker opened a new flagship store in the heart of whisky-making Scotland called Johnnie Walker Princes Street. Do visit the website, they did a nice job in creating this experience. I joined the online press launch a month ago. This week I received a special bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label Princes Street Edition.

Princes Street Old Fashioned

Ingredients
60 ml Johnnie Walker Black Label
10 ml Simple Syrup
2 dashes of Angostura Aromatic bitters

Method
Add whisky, syrup and bitters to a tumbler with ice cubes. Stir for 15 seconds. Twist an orange peel over the glass to express the oils. Garnish with orange, toasted rosemary or a blood orange wedge.

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Old Fashioned Week 2021 : Candy Old Fashioned with Jack Daniel's

The annual Old Fashioned Week is probably my favourite week of the year. For my friends at Paal 26 Grand Café I created a small selection of Jack Daniel’s drinks for this week. The ‘Candy Old Fashioned’ is one of the most fun drinks you’ll ever taste. It’s like a carnival, mardi gras and Disneyland mixed together into one delicious sweet drink. 

Candy Old Fashioned

Ingredients
50 ml Jack Daniel’s Whiskey
10 ml Monin Popcorn Syrup
1 dash of Nutty bitters (I used walnut bitters, other nut bitters are also fine)

Method
Just add everything to a tumbler with ice cubes and stir. Garnish with orange or a cherry. Serve with some fresh sweet popcorn. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Old Fashioned Week 2021 : Ardbeg

When you’re creating a schedule for Old Fashioned Week with a focus on different styles of whisky, you just can’t ignore Islay. Today’s Old Fashioned is the peatiest and most smoky one for this week. It might even cure your cold. 

Ardberg Old Fashioned

Ingredients
60 ml Ardbeg 10y
10 ml Ginger Syrup
3 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters

Method
Stir everything together in a mixing glass with lots of ice. Strain in a tumbler with fresh ice cubes. Add a cherry. Or not. This drink is bold enough to stand out. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Old Fashioned Week 2021 : Yoichi

During this edition of Old Fashioned Week, I want to use whisk(e)y from all over the world. This week I’m stirring the oldest cocktail recipe with spirits from Scotland, America and Japan. I try to serve them in a style that is typical for their country. 

Let’s have a look at Japan. This country is a long and narrow island with lots of coastlines. This should be the perfect environment for a smoky coastal whisky. 

Nikka Yoichi Single Malt whisky is distilled by Nikka in Japan. Since 1934 they distil Single Malt at the Nikka Hokkaido Yoichi distillery. They blend several batches to create a nice balanced spirit. They distil in a very traditional way with fire and coal. In this Single Malt, you will detect smoke and peat, but also dark chocolate, nutmeg and dried fruit. In the nose lemon, fresh-baked bread and vanilla. It’s soft and sweet, clouded with some smoke. The finish has a saline touch. 

So, what’s the Japanese style? Clean drinks, clear ice, no fancy garnishes. Every aspect of the drink needs to contribute to the taste and aroma. Keep it simple.

Nikka Old Fashioned

Ingredients
50 ml Yoichi whisky
15 ml Gonzalez Byass Cristina Medium Sherry
5 ml Rose syrup
1 dash (or approx.. 4 drops) of Calamansi citrus bitters (If you don’t have these, use grapefruit bitters, those are available at most liqueur stores)

Method
For the Japanese style Old Fashioned, we are serving this drink on a large rock of clear ice. This means we’ll first stir the cocktail in a mixing glass with lots of ice cubes. Keep it simple with the garnish, I used a piece of dehydrated grapefruit. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Old Fashioned Week 2021 : Timorous Beastie

It’s always a bit unclear what the exact dates are for Old Fashioned Week. The leading whiskey brands that support this theme week seem to pick their weeks slightly different. In the past, it always used to be the first week of November. Since that’s also pretty convenient for me (Autumn holidays) I’ll share a series of Old Fashioned drinks in the next days. Prepare for some tasty easy-to-mix and spirit-forward cocktails. In the last years, I did a mix of whisky, rum and other spirits. This year my focus will be mainly on whisk(e)y from Scotland, USA and Japan. 

Old Fashioned Week in short: Thousands of bars and restaurants all over the world will put the spotlight on the “father of all cocktails” while donating a small percentage of the revenue on these drinks to charity. Very often they pick a local charity, so I can highly recommend supporting this action week. 

Let’s kick off this year’s Old Fashioned Week with a real Scottish drink. The base spirit for this drink is Timorous Beastie, a blended malt whisky by Douglas Laing. This blend is a mix of Highland malt whiskies from distilleries such as Dalmore, Glen Garioch, Glengoyne and more. As we all know, the Scottish Highlands are the real heart of Scotland. If you want to add a bit of atmosphere, try this special version of Scotland The Brave. 

Red Tartan Old Fashioned

Ingredients
60 ml Douglas Laing Timorous Beastie
10 ml Simple syrup
2 dashes of walnut bitters

Method
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with lots of ice. Stir for 15 seconds and strain in a tumbler with fresh ice. Garnish with a maraschino cherry. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Old Fashioned Week 2020 : Rhum J.M. Fumée Volcanique

Let me start by stating “You love it or you hate it”. While your average rum is made from melasses (a by-product of the sugar industry), rhum agricole is made from the juice of sugar cane. It’s a bit less sweet and you get more raw flavours in the nose. Still, it won’t scare you, it’s just slightly different. This Rhum J.M. Fumée Volcanique bottling enhances those raw flavours by adding tons of smoke. I would recommend this bottle only for the real rum-lovers. Definitely not for anyone who is just starting to taste rum. Personally I can really appreciate the taste, but the smoky aroma is almost as heavy as an Islay whisky… I still have to get used to this for a rum. 

This rum has aged between 12 and 14 months in ex-Bourbon casks, which were heavily charred by Rhum J.M. The result is a very smoky aroma, salted butter and caramel. In the mouth notes of lime, sugar cane, honey and anise. A very special rum, which delivers a Rum Old Fashioned with a very smoky kick. 

I’ll try to lift up the typical casks influences by adding vanilla syrup. Also lifting up the typical cacao flavours of the rum by using the brand new cacao forastero bitters. You can find these bitters in the better liqueur store, alone or in a set of three together with “piment bondamanjak bitters” and “fleur d’atoumo bitters”. The cacao bitters are a maceration of roasted cocoa beans, peanuts, coffee, sarsaparilla branch, lime zest, vanilla pods and cinnamon sticks. The alcohol used for these bitters is white rum Agricole. 

Volcano Old Fashioned

Ingredients
60 ml Rhum J.M. Fumée Volcanique
10 ml Vanilla syrup
2 dashes Bitters J.M. Cacao Forastero

Method
Stir together in a mixing glass with lots of ice. Strain into a tumbler with a block of fresh ice. Garnish with a dehydrated slice of orange. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Old Fashioned Week 2020 : El Ron Prohibido 12

As said earlier this week, we received two bottles of El Ron Prohibido on our homebar. The second bottle is the Solera 12 blended Mexican Rum. In the nose crushed walnuts, sugar and vanilla. Second comes raisin and prune. In the mouth lots of honey, chocolate and raisin. Just like the 15 Gran Reserva, this one also has lots of influence by the sweet raisin casks. You also get a bit a coffee and nutmeg. The coffee notes stay in the finish. I’m happy that I didn’t use this one for my ‘Rum & Coffee’ Old Fashioned, because it would be too much. 

The lighter and fresher notes inspired to add even more fruity notes in this cocktail. 

Mexican Old Fashioned

Ingredients
50 ml El Ron Prohibido Solera 12 Mexican Rum
20 ml World’s End Falernum (Rum based)
10 ml Simple syrup
2 dashes of Angostura Orange bitters

Method
Stir together in a mixing glass with lots of ice. Strain into a tumbler with fresh ice.
Garnish with a dehydrated slice of orange. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Old Fashioned Week 2020 : Ardbeg Wee Beastie

Probably the bottle that sparked my curiosity the most during this year’s #oldfashionedweek: Ardbeg Wee Beastie 5 years. Yes, that’s pretty young and I really wanted to experience how much of an Islay-beastie this dram could be. To my surprise this whisky sure kicks a punch. It’s the rawest and smokiest Ardbeg I have tasted. It didn’t disappoint at all. This brand new expression is the most recent addition to the Ardbeg Ultimate Range. 

Ardbeg Wee Beastie is matured in ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks. This dram absolutely activates your senses. Cracked black pepper is very dominant. Pine and smoke. In the mouth lots of chocolate, then tar and creosote. The Beast awakens. A hint of grilled meat and a tail of the salty Islay air. A whisky of 5 years is pretty young. You don’t have the mellowing effect of aging, hence the strong kick. This is an excellent base for a powerful smoky cocktail. 

Wee Beastie Old Fashioned

Ingredients
60 ml Ardbeg Wee Beastie 5
15 ml Honey syrup
10 ml Amaro Montenegro
2 dashes Walnut bitters

Method
Stir together in a mixing glass (all except the amaro) with lots of ice. Strain into your tumbler with a big block of ice. Add a float of Amaro on top. Garnish with a dehydrated orange slice. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Old Fashioned Week 2020 : El Ron Prohibido 15

If you drink rum in the morning, you’re not an alcoholic but a pirate 😉 

If you take a glance at the fantastic bottles of El Ron Prohibido, you really start to feel like Jack Sparrow. These bottles could easily be props for a new ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movie. 

El Ron Prohibido is Mexican rum produced by Cervecera Mexicana distillery using the well-known Solera system which is used for several brands of rum and sherry. In the Solera system new rum is mixed with older rums. Instead of ex-bourbon barrels, they use ex-wine barrels for aging. 

Two of their dark rums landed on our homebar and they really do not disappoint. For the first cocktail based on this rum, I opened the 15 solera edition. This rum has tones of sweet caramel, nuts, wood, raisins and plums. It has a spicy finish. The raisin wine casks have left a deep influence in this rum, which really makes it different from most Caribbean rums. This is a perfect dessert rum, which might be the rum I was looking for to blend with coffee liqueur. 

Rum & Coffee Old Fashioned

Ingredients
50 ml El Ron Prohibido Solera 15 Gran Reserva
20 ml Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur
7 ml Simple syrup
1 or 2 dashes of Angostura Orange bitters

Method
Stir together in a mixing glass with lots of ice. Strain into a tumbler with fresh ice. Garnish with a dehydrated slice of orange. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations

Old Fashioned Week 2020 : Belvedere Vodka

Just like the #negroniweek, the #oldfashionedweek is an annual theme week highlighting iconic drinks and raising money for charity. This year both initiatives are supporting the hospitality industry which was knocked down pretty bad by the COVID19 virus. 

This year there seems to be some discussion about the exact dates for #oldfashionedweek. One of the official websites still states November 1 to 10, but doesn’t seem to be updated for this year’s events. Several other websites seem to start today (October 16 to 25). Since this year I will also be an ambassador for #sherryweek (November 2 to 8), the October-week works best for me to showcase some delicious Old Fashioned style cocktails. 

Each year I’m happy to promote this week and publish some tasty recipes myself. For this first drink I’m looking back at the Belvedere Vodka tasting I joined a few weeks ago, led by Global Brand Ambassador Mike Foster. Belvedere is a Polish brand, where they have a DOP for vodka. Only natural products. In the bottle is the result of purified water, grain (rye) and fire to distil. 

The new Heritage 176 bottle is a mix of the well-known Belvedere vodka with a vintage-style malted rye spirit. They use a centuries-old malting rye technique, which includes steeping, sprouting and heating the rye in kilns up to 176 degrees. Yes, that’s what the name refers to. 

The result is a rich and full bodied taste with vanilla, clotted cream, honey, walnut, … certainly not your average vodka. Serve it over ice with a lemon twist… or use it as a base for a delicious cocktail. 

Heritage Style (Belvedere Heritage 176 Signature Cocktail)

Ingredients
60 ml Belvedere Heritage 176
5 ml Honey syrup
2 dashes Walnut bitters

Method
Stir together for 20 seconds in a mixing glass with lots of ice. Strain in a tumbler with a big block of ice. Garnish with a lemon twist. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.