Friends of the Farm

Cocktail of the Month: The Old Western

2 oz. Pappy Van Winkle 15- year Bourbon
1/2 oz. Sarsaparilla Syrup
1 Maraschino cherry
1 slice orange
2 dashes Fee Brothers' Peach Bitters
Splash of soda water

In an old fashioned glass, muddle the cherry, orange, bitters and sarsaparilla syrup. Add ice, bourbon and top with soda.

Sarsaparilla Syrup
10 teaspoons of ground sarsaparilla root
1 quart hot water
3 cups sugar

Add the sarsaparilla root to the hot water and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain through a coffee filter. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Chill before using.

This Old Western is a play off the Old Fashioned cocktail, one of the most widely served and enjoyed whiskey drinks out there. I got the idea to try and revamp this classic from my friend Julian Van Winkle. It was at his home that I had an Old Fashioned made with peach bitters instead of the usual Angostura bitters. I was amazed at how different of a cocktail it became just by using a different bitter, not to mention using one of the finest whiskies around with Pappy van Winkle. This cocktail stuck with me for a long time. I was intrigued by bitters and I set out to buy as many different ones as I could.

You would be amazed the variety of bitters there are to choose from. It ranges from celery bitters to spicy aromatic to chocolate and everything in between. I tried every one I could get my hands on in an Old Fashioned – I must have made at least 20 different variations. But none seemed to capture my attention like the one Julian had served me. I couldn't figure out if I was doing something wrong or if it had just been the perfect time and place combined with the perfect cocktail for that time and place. I decided on the latter. It was the perfect moment. Standing in Julian Van Winkles home drinking a cocktail that he made just for me! How could anyone who is in my line of work not be in heaven at that exact moment and then not be inspired by the experience? I have to say that, although my attempts to modify the Old Fashioned merely by changing the bitters did fail, Julian's is still one of the best cocktails I have ever had.

Now I hadn't given up on giving the Old Fashioned a face lift. The idea was constantly in the back of my mind. At night my brain worked overtime to solve the puzzle. Then one day while watching TV, which is something I do not get the chance to do all that often, it hit me. It was the middle of the afternoon, not much on and I was channel surfing. I happened upon an old Clint Eastwood movie, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. I love a great old western. I get this quirk from my grandmother Nuncey and my father.  My father loves Clint Eastwood movies and John Wayne. I remember even going to visit the John Wayne Museum once as a kid.  Whenever I would visit my grandmother, I would watch TV with her and we usually watched “Gunsmoke” or “Ponderosa.”  I also remember drinking sarsaparilla at her house a lot.  This is the point where everything came together, that great big “ah-ha” moment, and I am talking “ah-ha” I got it, not A-Ha the 80's band, although on certain occasions that is good too. Sarsaparilla was the key to making a new drink and the name would be The Old Western. The rest is history.

Now and then whenever I see “Gunsmoke” or the like while I am channel surfing, I will stop and watch for a few minutes and remember how much I loved to sit with my grandmother watching those shows and dreaming of being a cowboy. I miss those days and I miss her greatly.

Here's to grandmothers. Thank you for allowing little boys to dream of being cowboys.

Cheers,      

Andrew Noye, Beverage Manager
May 31, 2010