fall – Chandra’s SPOOKeasy

Let’s start it off with my current obsession, the Old Fashioned!

Since I hate anything that is story before recipe, let’s do the reverse!

(*Note: my measures are in “shots” which is approx an ounce of liquid.)

Tools: Rocks Glass, Smoker Kit (optional for smokey part)

Ingredients:

3 shots of Bourbon
1 shot maple liqueur (Alternative: ½ shot of maple syrup)
3-4 dashes aromatic bitters
1 big ice cube

Music for tonight’s experiment: Vintage Obscura Halloween Mix [2023] — Side A

How To:

Combine all ingredients, stir, add ice cube, stir again. Then for a smokey finish, use your smoke kit (follow it’s instructions) and add smoke- and viola- smokey maple old fashioned!

About:

Tonight I chose the old fashion as my base cocktail and did some mods to it. It’s a crazy versatile cocktail, that lends itself to experimentation and it’s gosh darn PERFECT for the fall season. *Note, that I listed in the links to my Mickey glass, WHICH I ADORE & a present to me, and tools to help you out with smoking the cocktail and a decent ice try that makes som very god ice cubes. Please don’t use typical ice, they melt fast and water your drink too much up front.

Confession! I make my drinks boozy, so hence a “heavier” pour in terms of bourbon, and adding a very special maple liqueur I found in my journeys in Vermont. Typically an old fashioned is lighter in bourbon, and has simple syrup/sugar cube for its sweetener. But hey, this is where we can get creative- the sweetener component is where I find you can start subbing things that compliment the bourbon. In this case the maple liqueur is sweet by itself that makes a great substitution. I don’t like my drinks too sweet, so maybe you might want to pair a maple liqueur with maple syrup to give it more sweetness. Be careful, start little when adding up the sweetness factor… otherwise it might dominate your drink.

Just Me:

What probably started this obsession was the cocktail the Sazerac (which i’ll talk about later in another entry). It is by far, imho, a more superior drink, but isn’t as accessible or what i consider malleable as the old fashioned due to the Absinthe in it. Or was it the Benton’s Old Fashioned? (another drink i’ll do a post on!) That one is crazy too cause it has a “fat washed” component really changes the character of the drink in terms of its viscosity and heaviness.

Here I am, looking at a glass that once housed a delightful smoked variation of this lovely drink. The smoke still lingers on the glass and I am happy with my results. Lingering is the vintage music playlist I chose to write this too. Perfect spooky vibes for sipping. A fire would be even better, but I live in an apartment sorta situation so none of that for me!

Special Treasures from Vermont Used:

Smuggler Notch Distillery’s Straight Bourbon Whisky

Very subtle notes of vanilla, approachable, grain focused backend, smooth enough finish, and perfect for mixing. Worth going out of your way for? Nah. But a fun find in Manchester, VT.

Metcalfe’s Vermont Maple Liqueur

Sweet, maple goodness. Smooth. BUT you don’t realize it’s very strong for what it is. (Deceptive! Be careful.) We found this one with a very beautiful view!