Latest Drink Recipe
In my opinion, one of the greatest triumphs of the cocktail renaissance is the rediscovery of the classic Old Fashioned. I’ve often spoken of how at some point after the repeal of Prohibition, the Old Fashioned became lost and possibly confused with a long-forgotten drink called a Smash (basically a tarted-up Mint Julep covered in fruit), a mere husk of its former, glorious self.
For decades, bartenders just like me served a limp, weak concoction consisting of a half-muddled sugar cube, a mashed-up neon red cherry and orange, a splash of whiskey, and some soda water drowning the results.
With a little luck, and a lot of hard work, that’s all changed with the renewed interest in classic cocktails. Now at any given night at my bar you can find literally a dozen people sipping on two ounces bourbon touched with a teaspoon of sugar and two dashes of bitters, garnished with a simple orange twist over a couple big ice cubes.
But don’t try to pull that bullshit with the good people of the Great State of Wisconsin, where the Brandy Old Fashioned rules supreme. It’s not the same drink as above, it just shares a name. And if you make it right, really right, it’s a damn delicious cocktail and worthy of examination.
Being located in a hotel, we’re used to serving folks from all over the world. And the first time I witnessed a guest from Wisconsin stare blankly as one of my bartenders handed over two ounces of Cognac touched with a teaspoon of sugar and two dashes of bitters and garnished with a simple orange twist over a couple big ice cubes, I knew some further training was in order.
So in the name of making cocktails – all cocktails – with as much of our hearts as we can offer, I present to you what I believe to be the perfect Brandy Old Fashioned… Wisconsin-style.
I start with an old fashioned glass I’ve chilled in the freezer. Call it a tumbler, call it a double rocks glass, or call it a bucket, it’s a glass you’re familiar with. To that I add two dashes of Angostura bitters and a teaspoon of sugar. If I’m in a hurry I use a 2:1 simple syrup, but if I’m going to spend some time, I use a sugar cube. The sugar cube is preferable here because it’s going to add some friction to the muddling we’re about to do. Brace yourselves, cocktail “nerds”.
Next I’ll take a thick-cut orange wedge, and a cherry. The usual suspect here is a grocery store maraschino cherry, but I always choose a brandied Amarena cherry. Remember, you’re going to get out what you put in, so a quality cherry is going to make the drink that much better.
I muddle the sugar, bitters, orange wedge and cherry into a thick paste, careful not to touch the orange peel too much as it’ll bring unwanted bitterness to the party – just work around the peel and pulverize that orange meat.
Your standard Brandy Old Fashioned brandy of choice is Korbel: cheap California brandy. Considering the hundreds of thousands of cases they ship to Wisconsin every year, it might be considered sacrosanct to use anything else. But if you want to do this right, really right, then do yourself a favor and use some good Cognac. I have my preferred brandy, you have yours.
At this point your typical Wisconsinite barkeep is going to add ice and finish the drink in one of two main ways: sweet or sour. Those who take it sweet will ask for a splash of Sprite or 7-Up, those who take it sour get a dose of Collins Mix or Squirt. To me, it’s just a way of watering down the drink, so I leave out the soda and take a more… cocktail-y method.
Crushed ice is a must for me whenever I whip up a Brandy Old Fashioned. I always skip the soda and let the tiny shards of ice do the work, taming those strong, sweet flavors and turning this into a drink you can sip slowly.
As for a garnish, most will throw a “flag” of an orange wedge and a cherry spiked through with a wooden toothpick, but my take here is that those things are already in the drink, so I skip ‘em. Besides, how pretty does that look without the goofy fruit salad perched over the top?
You know, it’s something to enjoy sipping on while you cook up some bratwurst and onions in a boiling kettle of beer before everyone comes over to watch the Packers game. Drink accordingly.
Brandy Old Fashioned
1 sugar cube or 1 tsp 2:1 simple syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 orange wedge
1 cherry, preferably Amarena or Maraska
2 oz brandy or Cognac
In a chilled old fashioned glass, muddle the sugar, bitters, orange wedge and cherry into a thick paste, careful not to work the orange peel. Add brandy or Cognac, stir, and fill glass with crushed ice and serve.
Most Popular Articles
A side project, an experiment or just a simple curiosity that turned into a delicious phenomenon that we're still serving to much delight at our bar, barrel aged cocktails explore the gentle manipulation of a drink's flavors over time. This post details the inspiration, the history and the methods behind my barrel aged cocktails.
My problem with homemade tonic water has always been a flavor profile that was too esoteric for the general audience. This recipe takes some of the positive qualities people have come to understand from commercial tonic water and updated them with fresh ingredients.
Turned off by the glop you find in the grocery store, and unable to endure another long egg and cream whipping session, I set out to build an egg nog recipe from the ground up that retained the character of the orginal formula, was easy to make in a few minutes at home or at the bar, and tasted absolutely delicious. See if you agree with the result.
One question I'm often asked is "Do you have any drink-related book recommendations?" Well, funny you should ask, I've compiled a list of the ten books every professional bartender or home mixologist should own. I keep every one of these close at hand and have read most of them several times. I suggest you do the same.
The problem with living in Oregon is the absence of little wooden shacks by the sea that sell cases of fresh ginger beer stacked on back porches. But with some readily-available ingredients, a recipe I've been revising for several years - and a few free minutes - I can easily transport myself to a little fishing boat on the ocean as I sip a Dark and Stormy made with fresh, house-made ginger beer.
It's always mojito season somewhere, so this advice is timely in your area about half the year. Wether you're making them or simply enjoying them, this advice will help you look like a pro in no time at all.
The flavors of the Richmond Gimlet are imbued with sunshine. Fresh mint mingling with the herbaceousness of gin and the tartness of lime have made this drink a Eugene classic for many years now.
You'll get a lot of snarky advice on this site about how to make a proper drink, but if you ever need to know what not to do, this is the video for you.
Not to be confused with the Spanish wine-and-fruit-based alcoholic beverage sangria, sangrita (meaning "little blood") is a traditional accompaniment to a tequila served completo; a non-alcoholic sipper that cleanses the palate between fiery doses of agave.
The world of booze can be mystifying to people that don't work in bars or around alcohol all the time. I hear a lot of assumptions about the industry I'm in that are - much like 90% of what you hear in bars - completely false. Here are a few you've probably heard yourself.
The traditional garnish for a Pisco Sour is a couple of drops of bitters in the foam, but I've never been particularly impressed with the way these few paltry drops of bitters sat in their little egg-white mattress and didn't play along with the rest of the drink. I envisioned a Pisco Sour with a uniformly-distributed bitters-scorched foam: slightly crisp as the fire burnt the sugars, and slightly warm as the foam insulated the rest of the frosty cocktail from the heat. A pisco creme brulée in a glass!
I get so many visitors looking for tips on how to write a bartending resume that I thought I should finally post a tutorial on how to write your own. Click the headline to read more.
I always love showing up to a party with a gallon jug of pre-mixed margaritas, so I've decided to share my recipe. This margarita recipe is the perfect blend of strong, sweet, and sour. But be warned: this recipe packs a serious punch.
There isn't much I can say about this video that hasn't been said already. If you've read anything I've written about cocktails, you'll understand why this video symbolizes everything wrong with the state of bartending in America today. Watch and learn, but be warned: this one isn't for the feint of heart.
About Me
My name is Jeff Morgenthaler and I'm the bar manager at Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon.
I've been tending bar since 1996 and writing about it since 2004. I started tending bar while getting my degree in Interior Architecture, and slowly I came to the conclusion that bartending was what I really loved, and that I might as well drop everything and focus on being a professional bartender. Over the years I have strived, both behind the bar and with this website, to elevate the experience of having a drink from something mundane to something more culinary.
The writing I do here is intended as a work in progress. My recipes are like my opinions: they are constantly being revised and refined as I work them through my mind and my fingers. Comments and participation are encouraged, so please don't feel the need to tread lightly here.
04 Sep 2009 at 6:38 PM 1. GregBCarlstrom
Amen! When I set up tabs, only, and ONLY the person opening the tab can put stuff on it. If anyone else says, put it on, (fill in name)’s tab, I make sure to first consult the tab’s owner. That’s BS what happened, and I would second never stepping foot inside that establishment.
04 Sep 2009 at 9:08 PM 2. Jen
remind me to never cross you. nice response, well done my friend. :)
04 Sep 2009 at 10:01 PM 3. Boozemonkey
As one who has many friends who are ‘tenders, and has been behind a bar a few times myself this just makes my blood boil. I’ve spent more time than I’d like to admit telling people that bartenders don’t just pull a tap, they look after their customers (as you pointed out). To have a f**k like that do something like this is…Just…Gah!
05 Sep 2009 at 9:15 AM 4. Kat
Hey, this was actually the BARTENDER herself putting her drinks on my tab. I only found this out when I was leaving and overheard her stating that she had put them on my tab-possibly giving them out to her friends, or drinking them herself I don’t know. Either way, I’m still pissed. But I will hand this to the bartender-I love the response!!
05 Sep 2009 at 3:11 PM 5. tkw
and as i understand it, bartending jobs are very sought after in this economy. its sad that there are bartenders who suck this much ass when there are thousands of people who would love the opportunity to do the job right.
05 Sep 2009 at 7:10 PM 6. blair frodelius
Jeffrey,
You used the word “gigantic”. I’m offended!
Blair
PS – Just kidding.
05 Sep 2009 at 7:59 PM 7. Dan
Damn, Jeffrey is throwing down a tank sized gauntlet here.
This is awesome. Go Jeff.
06 Sep 2009 at 2:33 PM 8. DC Buck
I have been reading the blog for a while now and generally agree with Jeff, but I have to speak up on this one, cause I think he is way off base.
If you never return to this bar (or return, give her the printed out blog, and leave forever) you are letting this girl off the hook way too easy. I mean think about it. The person that has caught her in her little crime disappears while she is free to try this on the next group that comes in. This bartender could care less if you ever show your face again…in fact she probably never wants to see you again.
This bar is your favorite bar for a reason, right? Good drinks, nice atmosphere, and (usually) good service have brought you back time and again. Every single one of us in the industry knows of a bad bartender that has ruined great bar. It’s tragic! Ownership and management seemed to have made a bad decision on this particular bartender, who will probably continue to steal from guests and continue to give this place a bad name.
You have a chance…NAY!… an obligation to save your bar. Instead of printing out this blog and giving it to the bartender, I think you need to print out this blog and give it to the owner of the place. For those of us that have been in the unfortunate position of managing a bar, or anything for that matter, you know how difficult it sometimes is to fire someone. Words like “Unlawful termination” and “Discrimination” give restaurant and bar owners nightmares. You never know, her boss could just be waiting for a reason to get rid of her. YOU can be this reason.
This sounds to me like a “bad apple” (and some poor oversight) instead of an institution wide problem. If you say nothing, you allow her to continue screwing others and allow the management and ownership no chance to rectify the situation. You walk away in a huff and bad mouth this bar all over town. All this really does is hurt all of the other bartenders, servers, bussers, and barbacks that have made this one of your favorite places to come.
Give the ownership of the place a chance to make the situation right…if they fail to do anything and this girl continues to be employed there, then you boycott it.
06 Sep 2009 at 3:34 PM 9. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
DC Buck – I’m also a dumbshit, but not the kind who tries to steal from people. I’m the kind of dumbshit who hastily cranks out a volatile blog post half an hour before heading to work.
Kat, DC Buck is totally right. Don’t even bother showing this to the bartender in question and instead take your story straight to the owner or general manager. If you really love this bar, don’t let anything like a bad employee or a crummy blogger ruin the experience for you.
Good luck. And thanks, DC Buck. It’s that kind of audience participation that makes maintaining this website worthwhile for me.
JM
06 Sep 2009 at 4:00 PM 10. Philip
A very cool thing I first saw many moons ago at AKA bar in London was this: you start a tab, hand over the card, and get a plastic numbered tag in receipt, like a coat-check tag. This is your tab’s number, but – here’s the cool part – you or whoever is ordering has to show the tag every time they order, no exceptions. This means anyone in your group can order – just give them the tag – but no-one else. Genius for the larger, busier, more hectic type of bar.
06 Sep 2009 at 4:15 PM 11. Tokyo Tea
Don’t be so hard on yourself JM! That is why you oversee this communal forum where we all learn from each other. For all the stupid sh#t I have said in the past, I’ve always been grateful when someone opens my eyes to a different hitch in the trail than previously traveled.
07 Sep 2009 at 9:49 AM 12. timmy
+1 on give it to the manager: they will appreciate the insight into the integrity of their employee, someone stealing from patrons is stealing from the business.
I like the tag idea for a busy bar: another solution that I have seen is a handheld card reader carried by the bartender: the patron’s card never leaves their hand and each round is settled individually.
BTW this is one of the many reasons why my bar is cash only. We provide an ATM in the bar.
07 Sep 2009 at 10:32 AM 13. blair frodelius
We have a local pub in town that only accepts cash. They have an ATM as well, and offer the additional incentive of giving customers back the $1.00 fee when they bring their withdrawal slip to the bar.
While we’re on the subject, what are others’ thoughts about tipping? Do you tip per drink, tip up front for a night’s service, or at the end of the night? How much does tipping influence your level of service? Should it?
Blair
Goodspiritsnews.spaces.live.com
08 Sep 2009 at 3:34 PM 14. Marcel van der Ben
There are a lot of people out there who are making a career out of bartending (Including me!). I think it should be normal for every person who is working behind the bar that the person who opend the tab is the only person who can put things on the tab.
Well at least that is the policy that I learn my bartenders.
09 Sep 2009 at 1:16 AM 15. David
Hey Kat, i ‘ll tell you one thing for sure. If this crappy bartender did this to you, it is most likely a trick that they play out quite often on unsuspecting guests. I would say that this is no longer just about what happened to you on that particular night, this is about saving other people from getting taken advantage of while they are out on the town having a good time. I don’t know about actually printing the blog out, but I would most defiantly get in touch with the manager -or- owner and let them know what happened asap. That bartender needs to be effing canned!
09 Sep 2009 at 1:21 AM 16. David
Um… defiantly? Sorry as I defiant as this post might make me feel, I actually meant to say definitely.
Cheers
09 Sep 2009 at 3:02 PM 17. Scooter
Wow. That bar looks really clean and well organized. Must be a Wednesday or Thursday.
10 Sep 2009 at 8:32 AM 18. Jason
I’d refuse to pay for the whole tab to be honest.
12 Sep 2009 at 7:37 PM 19. Bbq Dude
Amen. Nicely done. Handling a tab should be the easiest part of being a bartender. I would fire any bartender who couldn’t handle that (as a consumer, the only way I would fire that bartender is by never frequenting their establishment again, or sitting somewhere in that bar such that I never needed to buy drinks from that particular bartender ever again).
Again, amen.
13 Sep 2009 at 5:12 AM 20. Bernhard
Jeffrey I like you answer, after 15 active and some 10 passive years in the business, I’d just like to add: Give the owner of this Bar the chance to react. If an employee cheats the guest the owner should know that. And it is highly likely that not only the guest was cheated.
Anyhow his only reaction can be to apologise and get rid of the employee.
15 Sep 2009 at 7:33 AM 21. TwoBlindPigs
Please do hand it to the bartender and let us all know what the response is!
15 Sep 2009 at 12:04 PM 22. Brian12566
As a member of the NYPD and frequent filler-outer of ID Theft reports via credit cards at bars. I highly highly recommend cash. Sure it sucks to drop the 100 cash on the floor. But consider the alternative, your card goes missing it could be much more expensive. Perps have caught onto the hide-under coats trick. Perps also take the purses from under the table, walk down to the subway and purchase hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of Metro cards(subway) and then in turn sell them. So, before you even know it, your credit card has been removed and you just bought 5oo bucks worth of subway rides.
19 Sep 2009 at 4:57 PM 23. KMAPLC
I agree with many of the previous comments and feel for Kat. I assume you love this bar and feel somewhat safe as a female in that establishment. As a former bartender I know people are thinking I was tyring to screw them. I had the benefit of working Sundays, giving me time to get to know my regulars and be more detailed on the tabs I would write out by hand. And whenever a large group does come in and drinks under one tame I always do a detailed list of their orders to help them and myself at the end of the nite. This is the same advice I have given to new bartenders and waitresses at my old bar.
As a cusotmer, I never start a tab in a place I have never been before or don’t know a bartender or manager personally. If I feel the must b/c of the crowd I use Amex. It seems this Credit Card company is more helpful to their members when issues of fraud arise.
I suggest you DO GO BACK, insist on using a waitress and paying cash for each drink. Or sit at the bar and use another bartender if possible. Get to know the rest of the staff, you can quickly tell who there are friends or just plain co-workers. Seek out the manager / owner and start up a conversation and breifly mention the situation but not the person unless they push upon you to point out the person.
Best of Luck
07 Oct 2009 at 2:04 PM 24. Nicole
This post is simply awesome. Just found your blog from the Foodbuz awards and proceeded to tweet this and send the link to my husband. I very much agree with you, but also think DC Buck has a wonderful point. It is outrageous what that bartender did.
07 Oct 2009 at 2:15 PM 25. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Thanks, Nicole. And don’t forget to vote – wink.
09 Nov 2009 at 9:51 AM 26. Mike
I’ve been in London quite a bit for the past couple of months and the tab system works a bit different over here (at least at most of the pubs I’ve been at). When you start the tab you get a card with a number on it. When someone wants to order and put it on the tab they just have to bring that card up. That seems like a pretty easy solution that works well (especially since most of the time when I’m doing this its a company thing where one person is paying but they won’t be responsible for ordering for everyone all night).
07 Jan 2013 at 1:46 AM 27. Amanda
I hate to see posts like this where both parties are so ignorant of A: True Bar Tending B: Conscious Drinkers.
Sad that there are so many ignorant people in this world.
You’re worried about starting a tab? Then don’t, obvious answer.
Sorry you are a dumb ass.