Homemade Old Fashioned Versus Bottled And Barrel-Aged with Our Scotchy Bourbon Boy Mixoligist CT!

We put the Old Fashioned to the test by tasting bottled RTDs, pre-batched bar styles, and homemade builds to see where convenience truly holds up. We dig into history, ingredients, proof, and technique, then land on what we’d actually buy again and what we’d rather fix with our own bitters and syrup. 
• why the Old Fashioned stays the gold standard cocktail 
• whether higher proof RTDs taste closer to a true Old Fashioned 
• bitters that change everything, especially black walnut bitters 
• sweeteners that work best, from agave to barrel-aged maple syrup 
• the Yellowstone ready-to-serve pour and how citrus zest shifts balance 
• Penelope bottled Old Fashioneds and why the black walnut stands out 
• Prohibition’s influence on muddled fruit and soda habits 
• the Wisconsin Old Fashioned style and the brandy versus bourbon debate 
• why barrel-aged Old Fashioneds feel more integrated and smooth 
• glassware and ice choices that improve texture and dilution 
• how sugar makes Old Fashioneds hit harder than neat whiskey 
• the bacon fat washed Old Fashioned build and why it works 
• our final ranking, including why Handy and Schiller holds up best 
www.scotchybourbonboys.com for all things scotchy bourbon boys. Check it out, Glenn Karen's t-shirts, and contact us. Also, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X along with Apple, iHeart, Spotify. Whether you listen to us or watch us, make sure you leave good feedback, become members, do super chats on the podcast, and you know, everything to support us, every single cent that we get goes right back into this. 

The Old Fashioned looks simple until you start comparing what’s in the glass. We line up homemade builds, bottled ready-to-drink Old Fashioneds, and bar-style barrel-aged batches to answer a real question for bourbon fans: is the classic Old Fashioned still king, or have RTD cocktails finally gotten good enough to keep stocked year-round?  

CT joins us as our resident mixologist and we get hands-on with what actually changes the drink: proof, dilution, bitters, sweeteners, citrus, cherries, ice, and even the weight of the rocks glass. We taste through popular options and talk straight about what works and what tastes like “every bad bar Old Fashioned,” including how to rescue an orange-heavy pour with lemon zest, or rebalance sweetness by cutting syrup and leaning into rye whiskey or higher proof bourbon.  

We also dig into Old Fashioned history, from the 1806 cocktail definition to Prohibition-era muddled fruit, plus the Wisconsin Old Fashioned tradition with soda. Then we go full experiment mode with barrel-aged flavor, smoking tools, and a showstopper: a bacon fat washed Old Fashioned built with black walnut bitters, a touch of chocolate bitters, and barrel-aged maple syrup.  

If you love bourbon cocktails, bitters, and practical home bartending tips, you’ll want this one. Subscribe, share the episode with a whiskey friend, leave a review, and tell us your go-to Old Fashioned build: classic, Wisconsin-style, or something weird that somehow works?

If You Have Gohsts

voice over Whiskey Thief

Transcript

Grain-To-Glass Sponsor Spotlight

SPEAKER_06 0:47

Middlewest Spirits was founded in 2008, focusing on elevating the distinct flavors of the Ohio River Valley. Their spirits honor their roots and reflect their originality as makers, their integrity as producers, and their passion for crafting spirits from grain to glass. Their Michelon Reserve line reflects their story from the start to the bottle to your glass, with unique wheated and rye bourbons, and also rye and wheat whiskies, the Michelon brand is easy to sip. It might be a grain to glass experience, but I like to think of it as uncut and unfiltered from their family to yours. Tiny here with CT. Welcome, C.T.

SPEAKER_00 2:49

What's up, what's up?

SPEAKER_06 2:52

This podcast has been in the making for a long time. And we've done, I believe one time before, we've done a podcast on does it matter what bourbon you put in your old fashion, right? And that definitely when we did it, it made a difference putting a better bourbon into your old fashion, right? And so this podcast, though, is everything about an old fashioned, right? And CT here is I call, I think you're you have earned the title The Scotchy Bourbon Boys Mixologist. Because you've been on and you and you've made, you know, we've done summer ones, summer drinks, this type of things. But

Why The Old Fashioned Still Matters

SPEAKER_06 3:42

tonight we're going to cover the old fashioned kind of completely, you know. For over 200 years, the old fashioned has remained the gold standard of whiskey cocktails. It's simple, timeless, and proves that sometimes less is more. Originally created long before cocktail menus had dozens of ingredients and fancy garnishes? The old fashioned was simply whiskey, sugar, bitters, and a little bit of water. But today the old fashioned has evolved. Distilleries, craft cocktails, companies, and bartenders everywhere are offering bottled old fashions, cocktail mixes, and even barrel-aged versions that promise a perfect drink without all the work. So tonight we're asking the question: is the traditional homemade old-fashioned still king, or have the pre-made and barrel-aged versions become good enough to earn a permanent place on your bar? We're going to explore the history, taste several examples, and decide whether convenience can truly compete with craftsmanship. So everybody grab a glass. Hopefully, you have an old fashioned in your glass tonight. But CT, I mean, what's your opinion? What is your opinion, honestly, of this? Because you have like kind of had we've had them everywhere. I mean, we've had an old fashioned at the Penn Dennis Club, which, as you'll find out later on, is one of the first places ever to, you know, they were part of making the old fashioned what it is. Some people say they invented it, other people say they didn't, but whether or not they didn't, they're just part of the history. But then we've had old fashions pretty much everywhere you can kind of have one that's historic, and then you've made them. So what's your take on it?

SPEAKER_00 5:30

I think that uh it it kind of depends on the situation. The uh, you know, not every opportunity do you have to make your own because you're on the go, or maybe you're just tired and you don't want to sit there and put the thought into it. So the RTDs that have come out have definitely up their game because for a long time, really the only RTD that you would see on the shelf was that orange bullet bottle. And uh, you know, it no offense to bullet, don't take it wrong, but that definitely was not a good example of what an old-fashioned could be, but it but it was there. So, you know, they were out there, you could buy that. Then you had companies like Buffalo Trace come out with theirs, and it's just gotten better and better. And and honestly, today the craft distilleries are probably doing as good as anybody

RTD Old Fashioneds Finally Get Good

SPEAKER_00 6:29

because they are pushing that envelope a little more and they're making different syrups and you know, like black walnut bitters. A few years ago, when you would went go in and get an old-fashioned, it was pretty much Angostora. They were going to use these bitters, which are cinnamon heavy, and they might use a sugar cube, or they might use simple syrup, or they might use maple syrup. Now that game has changed. Whether they're using a barrel-aged maple syrup, whether they're using agave, whether they're making some kind of special brown sugar simple syrup, or a turbo turbinado, or or any of those different ones, the game has changed dramatically, and the craft distillers have jumped on board with that big time. They've got away from the traditional and they've kind of pushed the envelope. So I think it just depends on what you're in the mood for. I have several pre-made old-fashioned bottles. I keep the Penopee ones in my fridge so they're ready to go, and I like them a lot. The black walnut one is my favorite, but they're great, they're easy to drink, they're easy to put together. If you have friends over, you can make four cocktails in a matter of 10 seconds instead of you know five minutes.

SPEAKER_06 7:43

Yeah, and I would say that with the 84 proof, which is the handshake here, which is I've never I've never had it. It's from Heaven Hill. And then also the Buffalo Trace, Handy and Schiller, those two are 84 proofs, and that is a straight up old fashioned like hits you in like I mean it. I think most old fashions in like if you order one at a at a bar, they're they're not even 84 proof. There's there's enough where it gets below that. But these are serious, the serious thing. Now, the the 36.7 or the 35.6 is that are there. Now that's more of that's like a cocktail, right? The old fashioned is more at 84 proof is more like what they were talking about in the history of of of the old fashioned. And then these the 36 that's just a little bit more watered down, it's more like a drink. Or the old fashioned something you can drink more.

SPEAKER_00 8:55

And I mean, probably to a design, you know, they wanted it to be that way so that you would drink more of it. You could drink more of it. Yeah, I think that that's probably why that is the way it is.

SPEAKER_06 9:06

Although I have to admit, straight across the board, the the lower proofs are 20 bucks. I mean, it's for 20 bucks you get 750 milliliters of drinks and whatever. I mean, it's a uh it definitely is a party in a bottle, right? Yeah, or a podcast.

SPEAKER_00 9:23

You know, on the pre on the on the pre-made old fashions.

SPEAKER_06 9:32

It's okay. The noise canceling will happen.

SPEAKER_00 9:36

25 to 30 dollars is kind of hey.

SPEAKER_06 9:44

That is Luca. Luca.

SPEAKER_00 9:47

Yeah, yeah. He hears the other dog, so he but anyway, $25 to $30, you can buy a lot of them. And then there are brands that have $39 ones. There was a brand, I saw one on the shelf in Ohio, it was $21. And I don't I can't even remember the name of it, but I was not willing to give my liquor the opportunity to try that one. So I uh yeah, I passed on that one. But but you know, there's again the game has changed. There is a lot more out there, but there's also a lot more available for home cocktails to be able to make your own bitters. When you used to go into the local OHLQ liquor store, you know, and I'm sure every state's different, but you would go in and you could find Angostora, and you might find orange, but that was about it. They didn't carry very many bitters, they would carry, you know, the expensive cherries, the Luxardos, but wasn't a lot of opportunity to explore different things. And so tonight that's one thing we're gonna do. We're gonna stretch the envelope. At least I am on the craft side. We're gonna we're gonna do some things that are different, whether it be the type of bitters or the type of simple syrup or the type of alcohol, bourbon that we use, or you know, it there's so much that can be done with this. Every year I I try different things. I probably tried 10 to 20 different old fashions throughout the year, not thrown somewhere, my own, like whether I'm mixing it with this or that. And I will tell you that I probably enjoy that as much as anything. And I think if people go out and they buy a few bottles of bitters, they start playing around with it, they'll find that they can make some really good cocktails at home and save a lot of money.

SPEAKER_06 11:39

So cool. Why don't you start putting together your first your your mixed up old fashion? And I'll give a while you start just getting it and doing the what you're doing, I'll give them a little bit of the history. Just you know, you tell you're gonna use the Starlight.

SPEAKER_00 12:01

So my first one is, and I'll make this and then I'll let you talk. So, because of the summer, Starlight has a peach whiskey. It's 84 approved. This is available through the state of Ohio. It is fantastic. I think that's here. One time uh he was asking me, he said, Man, I saw you make something with that. How is it? I'm like, you can find a bottle, buy it. It's it's really good. And he finally found the bottle and he sent me a text message, and he's like, Chris, man, you're not wrong. That was awesome. So this is a great peach flavored whiskey. It makes a

Building Blocks For Better Home Drinks

SPEAKER_00 12:40

great cocktail, it's already kind of sweet, so it works, but that's what I'm using. I'm also gonna be using Woodford peach bitters, and because it's going to be uh it works great for the uh agave syrup. So that's what I'm gonna be using for my sweetener. I'm gonna use peach bitters, peach starlight, and agave, and that's my first one.

SPEAKER_06 13:04

I like agave as a simple syrup, they do a good job. There's a lot of different ones out there, and they're all pretty good.

SPEAKER_00 13:11

All right. I agree.

SPEAKER_06 13:12

The old fashioned is widely considered the original American cocktail, and one is the oldest mixed drinks still enjoyed today. The first known definition of a cocktail appeared on May 13th, 1806, in a New York newspaper called The Balance and Columbian Repository. The editor defined a cocktail as a stimulating liquor composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters. Sound familiar? That's essentially an old-fashioned. At the time, whiskey, brandy, rum, and gin could be used, but the formula was the n was the name. Spirits, sugar, water, bitters. During the mid to late 1800s, bartenders began creating more elaborate drinks by adding liqueurs, absinthe, caraco, multiple bitters, and exotic degrees.

The 1806 Definition And Origins

SPEAKER_06 14:11

Some customers performed the simple style and would ask for their cocktail made the old-fashioned way. That's where the name came from. The Pendentist Club Story, 1880. This and we just last year on our bus tour was at lunch there with Walter Zausch, and Walter had to start off when we all got to the Pendentist Club, we had a pendentist club old-fashioned. One of the most popular origin stories credit the cocktail to this historic Pendentist Club in Louisville, Kentucky. According to the story, a bartender created a drink for Colonel James E. Pepper, a bourbon distiller. Pepper supposedly bought the recipe to New York's famed Waldorf Astoria Hotel. He brought the recipe to the New York's famed hotel, helping spread its popularity. While historians debate whether this is the true original, Louisville proudly embraces the story and helped comment bourbon connections, connect bourbon, help cement bourbon's connection to the old fashioned. There we go. Alright, so you finished making that one, right?

SPEAKER_00 15:24

Yes. Alright, so this one, because of the peach bitters, because it is a sweeter finish. That's why I started with this one to begin with. Just the sweetness of it. This is definitely a good sit on the back porch. You want to have a nice summer drink. This is the one. It is definitely the sweetest of any of these. Maybe not in the pre-made, but in a uh crafted cocktail. This is definitely one of the sweeter ones. But the beauty of doing your own is that you can modify the flavor profile by adding more bourbon, adding more of the simple syrup or whatever the the sweetener you're using is. But just because like this this peach is already pretty sweet, you could still take another bourbon and add a half ounce of uh 100-proof bourbon or whatever. And it would still mix with this and bring the bourbon flavor

Peach Whiskey Twist Made From Scratch

SPEAKER_00 16:21

up. So you can play around with it. Again, that's the beauty of it. You can kind of tweak it to uh to be your own. But it's a great summer drink.

SPEAKER_06 16:31

So I just I've like I've I've got all these. Roxy and me have been uh so it said, I think these are the wrong ones, are they? No, they're the right ones. All right, so I need the light. All right, she said this one is the Yellowstone cocktail. For those always ready to go, Yellowstone cocktails are ready to serve, made with Yellowstone bourbon and natural ingredients. Taste our heritage and commitment to the bur the outdoors in every sip. Package sustainably, enjoy responsibly. And this is in a serve chilled, and that's all it says as far as how to serve it. Let's see what it's got here. Yeah, that's bit okay. It's Yellowstone made with Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, bitters, and blood orange natural flavoring. All right, so on this one. So what I like to do is I I I like big ice, but in this one, I'm gonna use a half a cube because I've been making it's funny the four roses ones either they're half a cube or they're the whole the real deal.

Yellowstone RTD Taste Test And Garnish Hacks

SPEAKER_06 17:48

And it's making me mad because it's in there wrong.

unknown 17:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 17:55

The other thing I'll point out on the uh, so while we're on the cocktail subject, so Yellowstone also, and and this is actually better than the old-fashioned. This is their espresso. So if you have a lady at home who doesn't really want to drink bourbon, but she likes those espresso martinis. This is an espresso cocktail that they made at Yellowstone, and this is fantastic. So, of the two, I think I like this one better. The blood orange bitters in this to me are a little overpowering. But $24.99 in the state of Ohio with a five-dollar instant rebate. They give you five dollars off. It's got a little net tag on it, and they send it to your Venmo, I think, or PayPal, and you get an so for $19, it's a pretty good, easy to do, obviously pre-made old fashioned. And you're putting an orange on the rim, it's gonna really be orange.

SPEAKER_06 19:01

No, I'm putting a lemon on the rim. I did some lemon zest because I like the lemon zest if something's too orange, and this one with the blood orange, but I'm I'm opening it. You I didn't shake it. Do you shake them? It doesn't say shake them.

SPEAKER_00 19:16

I I just flip them. I just kind of let it all go.

SPEAKER_06 19:21

It's not like there's soda in it, right? So I did that plus a cherry. I like to put the cherry with the zest, and then okay, just a little bit here. Can't be now. Do they need to be refrigerated afterwards? I do not believe they do, do they? Do you refrigerate them?

SPEAKER_00 19:42

I keep mine I keep them in the fridge because when I take them out and pour them over ice, the ice is already, it doesn't, you know, crack the ice immediately. It just it just keeps it a little more intact longer, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_06 19:56

There's a lot of space in my refrigerator after this one. All right, I'm gonna tell you what I th I I've not had the Yellowstone one. So here we go. I do like the blood orange. I do like it. It's it's well balanced, a nice there's it's sweet, it's not overly powerful. The lemon's a good thing to try because it makes it a little bit fresher. I I I give a thumbs up to this one. The yell the Yellowstone. Definitely. Now, if it's only 36.35, uh let's check out what it actually is. Before I go get 35, 35 proofs. So 70. What 70. Oh, it is 70, 35, yeah, 70 proof. So that's not bad. You wouldn't have to add any more yellowstone to it.

unknown 21:36

Right?

SPEAKER_00 21:38

No, and again, it's not my favorite. I think it leans more towards the bullet with a ton of orange, which I like orange to a point, but uh in an old-fashioned orange and cinnamon are probably the two things that get overdone for me. Now, there's other people who like others, so okay.

SPEAKER_06 21:59

So are you mixing up another one or are you gonna go with the pr the Penelope?

SPEAKER_00 22:05

Uh well, what's let me get rid of the net? Let's do it, let's do a Penelope. So, Penelope actually has an apple cinnamon, the black walnut, and then they have a new blackberry, and they have a peach, I believe. I I could be wrong, but I think there's four. And again, killer bottles, they're really well done. They are 38 alcohol by volume, so they're 76 proof, and they're still in that 25 to $30 range. I like these bottles. When I'm done with them, I refill them with water, tap water, put them in my fridge. I've got nice cold water, and that bottle just looks cool as crap coming out of there and pouring water out of it. So that's that's those. Um I you know, I don't need to drink them. They're they're they're good, but I they're definitely better than the the Yellowstone version. The black walnut is a solid. If you like black walnut bitters and you had an old fashioned made with it, you will like this. I know I ran into a guy in Columbus who said he buys this six bottles at a time. Whenever he sees

Penelope Bottles And What Prohibition Changed

SPEAKER_00 23:17

it, he buys them, and that's like his. Nightly pour every night as he makes one of those and it's just easy.

SPEAKER_06 23:23

So he does a nightly pour of Penelope old fashioned.

SPEAKER_00 23:28

Yep. He loves that black walnut. Every night he's like, every night I have a pour of that, and that's that's my drink for the night.

SPEAKER_06 23:36

Okay. So there is so during Prohibition, quality whiskey became difficult to obtain. Bartenders often added fruit, extra sugar, and soda water to disguise poor quality spirits. Many of the muddle fruit versions that people know today have roots in this era. The Wisconsin old fashioned. So this one. So I grew up with this, okay? So much. So I grew up drinking beer, obviously. Having a little bit, I remember in 1992 having my first ever Jack Daniels single barrel, not even having any clue what a single barrel was, because I thought it was something like to do with scotch, not, you know, like single malt. This was a single barrel. That's what I thought when I bought it. My dad was a Jack Daniels drinker. I coveted that bottle. Okay. So it was probably one of the first single barrels for Jack Daniels out there, and it was good. But I grew up a beer drinker and Wisconsin old fashions. Now I left Wisconsin and I'm not a I wasn't a huge old-fashioned drinker, but I had a couple. My father-in-law would make them. And in 2019, I went down to Kentucky for the Kentucky Bourbon Festival before we even had a podcast. We were just starting out as a group. And I went to Bardstown Bourbon Company and I ordered a bourbon old fashioned. Now, one, I was like, an old fashioned is made with brandy. Because that's how they made it in Wisconsin. So this old-fashioned, this bourbon old fashioned comes, and I take a sip of it. And I'm telling you, and I'm gonna put this in because this is the they had they advertised it. They had a Buffalo Trace at the time, a Buffalo Trace barrel, and they had made their old fashioned mix, and then they basically they

Wisconsin Old Fashioned And Brandy Culture

SPEAKER_06 25:52

100% now. Okay, that's for that old fashion. Let's get the tea, let's get this, let's get this one in. They 100%, I I almost freaked out. I was like, holy crap, that is not an old fashioned. That is not, I'm like, it was, I'm like, what's in this? And they're like, bitters, bourbon in a buffalo trace barrel, and then some simple syrup, and that and then we do a cherry and an orange, and I'm I'm drinking it, I'm going, what the shit that is like I had no idea of what uh what that was. That's not what I tasted. So then, like 150 old fashions later, we know this story, went to a Packer game with Randy, and we were at the we were at the Kiwani bowl pizza and bowling alley, and I was like, I ordered the old fashioned in Wisconsin, and he did it, and he muddled the cherry on the bar, used his bowling, bowling shoe fingers, and picked the cherry up and put it in there. And then he had the bourbon in there, and he then he's like, and I'm like expecting expecting him to hand it to me, and then he reaches for the key ingredient that I will do when I make mine my actual Wisconsin one. But that freaks me out. It was like, I knew it, I knew that what Kentucky had was not an old-fashioned. That's the Wisconsin old-fashioned, but they say no discussion of old-fashioned history is complete without mentioning Wisconsin. After World War II, many Wisconsin taverns began making old-fashions with brandy instead of whiskey, but that's fine. Muddled fruit, and I'll go into what the other thing was. And then today, Wisconsin consumes more brandy than any other U.S. state and considers the brandy old fashioned its signature cocktail. Now, I will tell you that in Wisconsin now, a lot of people are now using bourbon. It's not, it's not at first, it was like you don't put bourbon in there, but it's like they're the ones who changed it to brandy, right?

SPEAKER_00 28:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 28:29

So go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 28:31

Not that brandy is bad, but I mean, you know, in other areas, tequila is big for an old fashioned. I make a tequila old fashion quite often, and uh there's a restaurant down the road, and they make the simple syrup specifically for their tequila old fashion, and it's fantastic.

SPEAKER_06 28:51

I've got the Traverse City Premium Cocktail Traps cherries, which work out really well, but the syrup in there is always good to put in. So I zested this Buffalo Trace, which is the 84-proof or the 40, what's that, 42% alcohol? And then I just instead of putting the cherry, I just dropped that in and did the did the nice uh zesting with the orange.

SPEAKER_00 29:17

Now so you're doing the pre you're doing the pre-batch from uh Buffalo Trace.

SPEAKER_06 29:22

And that's what that is exactly what it tasted like that day at Bardstown Bourbon Company when they did that Buffalo Trace barrel aged. Now, would you agree that some of the best old fashions that you've ever had where they mix up a 50 the whiskey thieves done it, watersheds done it, and I know that Bardstown Bourbon Company does it where they put that whole old fashioned, they make 53 gallons of it and put it in a whiskey barrel for six to eight months, and then you start serving that. And honestly, the flavors do so much cool things. I think that is the way that I've always that I really love an old fashioned.

SPEAKER_00 30:09

Yeah, I I will tell you hands down, and I'll give some credit to uh a local place here in Columbus. Prohibition Genty has barrels in his front window that they do a barrel-aged old fashion that is by far the best batched old fashioned in a bar that I've ever had. It is, if if you're in Columbus near Powell area, go in. He's got they go through so many of those on a weekend. It is insane. They're that good.

SPEAKER_06 30:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 30:48

So, yes, when you can take and watershed did a great thing. Watershed for when they had their bar and restaurant open, and we were there, they had a barrel sitting there, and the the you would order a barrel-aged old-fashioned, they'd walk over, thief it right out of the barrel, port, right into your glass. I mean, that was a great experience, and it was very good. So, you have brands doing things like that. I it it the cocktail industry, obviously, that's what made vodka and all these other different types of alcohols so popular, is they were able to do so many different drinks with them. And I think people have realized with bourbon or whiskey, the old fashioned is a huge market because you can do so much with it, and I'm getting ready to do it home.

SPEAKER_06 31:41

All right, Kirk just gave a super chat, and I gotta read it, and I don't like to, but AOC could not make an old-fashioned to save her bartending career. That was a 2000, that was 2018. I'm just guessing she still doesn't know how to make it. So we're going political, but he paid five bucks to do it, so I guess I gotta read it. That's kind of how it works.

SPEAKER_00 32:08

Oh, you gotta read that. That's that's how so I wonder what AL is Ray Gunner said that a smoked with whistle pig maple syrup. So I you'll see on my counter here, I have whistle pig maple syrup. I actually have gone through several of those, and now it is refilled with my own syrup. So, but that is a good syrup. If you're looking for a maple syrup, there is a lot of brands that do that. That's the other thing we really haven't talked about. Like if you're looking for a sweetener, barrel-aged maple syrup is big. Our friends at Seldom Seen Farms, right up there near you, Jeff, and uh outside of Canton. I usually buy my syrup from him and then I age it myself in my little barrel. The reason why it gives it a nice flavor, plus, I can refill that barrel with bourbon, and now I've got a bourbon that's flavored with a little bit of maple syrup, and it's a win-win. So, but yeah, Henry, that's a good syrup for sure.

SPEAKER_06 33:12

Alright, so I'm gonna make the one old fashioned that I was I'm gonna basically make it uh now.

SPEAKER_00 33:23

Is that one made with which one? Which what's yours made with?

SPEAKER_06 33:29

Mine is gonna be a Wisconsin old fashioned. So the first thing you do. Okay, that didn't work. Alright, the first thing you do is get the cherry in. I somehow, I think I got one of the yeah, I do have an ability to get the cherry. Okay, let's use one of these makers marks. So you gotta get the cherry in first, and then you gotta muddle it, and that's what I'm doing there.

unknown 33:58

Oh god.

SPEAKER_06 33:59

What listen?

SPEAKER_00 34:00

Number rule number one of an old-fashioned is no muddled fruit. No muddled fruit.

SPEAKER_06 34:05

Okay. It's horrible. Okay, anyways, that's the way the Wisconsin way you muddle that cherry. I like extra cherry. I'm gonna put a little extra sauce in there. Yep, there we go. This the Michigan cherry sauce is awesome. These

Why Barrel-Aged Old Fashioneds Hit Different

SPEAKER_06 34:20

no no one else has had them. All right, there we go. Got that in. Then I'm gonna make it with. I do have a bar rag here. I should get that out because I spilled water everywhere. All right, so then after you have your cherry muddled, you add your whiskey, which the whiskey tonight is gonna be, I am gonna make it with not the weeded, with this whiskey thief. And it's two and a half ounces, so I will put that in. Well, I should drop the I'm gonna drop the ice cube in. Now what now I will tell you, there's certain types of glasses for old fashions for me, and I think you you will agree. So I've got the two and a half ounces of that. Now, put that in. Then it consists of I do have a simple syrup. Let's just do that. One ounce of simple syrup. Put that in.

SPEAKER_00 35:36

Adam Fowler, I agree with you. If I wanted pulp in my freaking cocktail, I'd get some pulp orange juice, and no, I don't want that either.

SPEAKER_06 35:46

There's the ounce of simple syrup. Now, I like I love black walnut bitters.

SPEAKER_00 35:53

Oh, yeah. Black walnut is the best bitter across the board.

SPEAKER_06 35:58

So I'm gonna hit that with I'm gonna hit that with all right. We got that. Now, the what what Wisconsin does that most places just don't do. It's it's nuts. I just I just remember tasting this. This is good enough right here, but here we go. We got a little bit of sprite. Now they have sweet and sour, so you can put either sprite or like squirt. So you add that to top off. Now, when he did that at the pizza bowling alley, I my brain went, I wasn't crazy when well it was. So, there you go. I'll top this off because of my love of cherries. I will add Elijah Craig unmuddled drunk cherry. There you go. That'll that'll do it. Now, that's a Wisconsin. Now, when I taste this. So that is that is bizarre. The the soda brought out the char smokiness of the whiskey thief. So using the barrel strength, most of the time it's not barrel strength. I think we use broken barrel at that pizza place. So there's the Wisconsin old fashioned in one of my favorite, like I love with an old fashioned, it's gotta have like these glasses are flimsy. Some of these little glasses. I want this. Look, that thick, what what do you got? An inch and a half of solid glass down there to keep it. This isn't gonna spill if you bump it. And but the weight, don't you find that the more the glass weighs, the more of a man you feel?

SPEAKER_00 38:11

Feel more like a I think the company that came up with this glass, which these have a really nice bottom.

SPEAKER_06 38:18

Yeah, I got yep.

SPEAKER_00 38:19

You're talking like something like these I picked up these from uh Indian Creek. I picked them up from High Bank Wilderness Trail. I like these a lot because they are heavy on the bottom and they're not super tall, so a two-ounce old-fashioned fills it up pretty nicely.

SPEAKER_06 38:38

Now, this Crystal Glen drink rocks glass has got some weight, and this one here, this one here weighs like a pound. I mean, that's my favorite. That thickness, big bottom. My my my sister-in-law gave me one for Christmas and was like the perfect glass. All this so there you go. We've got actual good feed on the feet on the you on Facebook and YouTube. All right, there we go.

SPEAKER_00 39:13

Your next black one because we got we got more to do. So I'm gonna do a another one while you go ahead and drink your muddled fruit Wisconsin.

SPEAKER_06 39:24

It's I can't drink these.

SPEAKER_00 39:27

I'll die. So I'm gonna take I'm gonna take black diamond from our from our from our good friends here in Ohio. This is gonna be their 103-proof black diamond. I am gonna do a little different with this. I'm gonna take some, I'm

Making A Wisconsin Version With Sprite

SPEAKER_00 39:43

gonna do toasted almond bitters, and I'm actually gonna use Indian Creek vanilla number three bitters. So we're gonna take those two. We are gonna use some of my homemade maple syrup, barolades, and in case you guys didn't know, if you want some good cherries and you don't want to spend a lot, go to Trader Joe's. These amaretto cherries are fantastic, they taste just like the Luxardo ones, and they are less than half the price. So, no, no offense to Luxardo because they are good. This stuff is amazing, and usually I just use the syrup more than I use the actual cherry. So that's what I'm gonna make, and I'll let you continue talking.

SPEAKER_06 40:28

Alright, so the modern era. Today, the old-fashioned

Glass Weight And Ice As The Secret Sauce

SPEAKER_06 40:32

well, okay, so there was a cocktail revival, and that was by the 1990s and early 2000s. Kraft cocktail bars began returning to classic recipes. Bartenders rediscovered rye whiskey, high-proof bourbons, traditional bitters, orange peel garnishes. The revival helped, and zests, orange zest, lemon zest. I love zest over peel. The the revival helped restore the old fashioned to its original form. Now, in the modern era, today the old fashioned is one of the world's most ordered cocktails, a staple at whiskey bars, available in bottled ready-to-mix versions as we're doing tonight, and frequently barrel-aged by bars and distilleries. There you go, the barrel-aged thing. Despite all the variations, the core concept remains unchanged from 1806. Spirits, sugar, bitters, water. More than 220 years later, that's still the foundation of the cocktail world. And I will tell you. Look at that. Nice. Nice. So how's that one?

SPEAKER_00 42:02

Hey, if I had one on bar, I wouldn't have any. Let's put it that way. That that is fantastic. And the toasted, the toasted bitters of that toasted almond with the with that vanilla, oh my god, they just they worm with that bourbon. It's this is really good.

SPEAKER_06 42:22

So I like big ice, but I think sometimes just if you just have regular ice, it can work too. And so the next one that I'm gonna do, and I won't do handshake, I'm gonna go for so the Liberty pole right here is made with rye, and that's one of the things that some old fashions rye whiskey does come out and stand out in an old fashioned. It's one of the places that if you talk to Booker or you talk to Jimmy Russell, that's where rye whiskey, where they liked it. It's like they liked it in a cocktail because it would hold up where bourbon sometimes wouldn't quite hold up. Now, this one, trying to come on. This one is corked, so you got Liberty Pole cork in there, old fashioned. So I've got that. I'm gonna try since it's rye, I'm gonna do a little lemon zest. That is always an option for me because orange sometimes is too much for me. And I and it I have to be in a mood for that orange flavor. Don't you agree?

SPEAKER_00 43:40

Yeah, it's that's you you'll notice like I don't add orange to many of my homemade ones. I have orange fitters, I have two different kinds, and I'll on occasion like it, but I I like the the flavors that the black walnut gives.

SPEAKER_06 43:56

All right, this Liberty Pole, which Liberty Pole is in Pennsylvania, uh south of uh Pittsburgh, about 20 minutes. This is uh let's see. This one is 80 proof, and it is made with it's with PA straight, rye whiskey, natural flavors, and bitters. Let's see if they get into this bottle.

SPEAKER_07 44:23

No, okay.

SPEAKER_06 44:26

During the whiskey rebellion, whiskey rebels were known to mix fruits and sugars with their whiskeys. The this eventually led to what we know now know as the old-fashioned cocktail due to people requesting their whiskey the old-fashioned way. Alright, so they didn't give us any details on what it's in it. I've got that. I gotta give it its due. Get it, get a cherry in there. You know, it's always good to get right it what old-fashioned doesn't have a cherry? I don't think any. Do you?

SPEAKER_00 45:02

No, I mean so you're gonna see my last cocktail of the night will not have a cherry in it, and there's a reason. But yes, I usually like a cherry in one. And not a God bless it freaking cherry that goes on a Sunday. Please, if you are making. Old fashioned anywhere in the country. Now stop using a tan cherry that goes on the top of a Sunday. Quit doing it and get good cherry.

SPEAKER_06 45:29

Well, all I can tell you is from a Sunday maraschino cherry lover, lover, lover. I could eat a whole, I buy those MFers at Sam's Club in these giant containers. Okay?

SPEAKER_01 45:50

So I love it.

SPEAKER_06 55:16

I I don't want to use this word, but it's smoother. Like or easy. Or easy. So it's kind of like it reminds me of pudding. Vanilla pudding. When you do when you have vanilla pudding, all of it mixes together at once. You know what I mean? It's one experience, and that's what this is because it was in the barrel. It was aged, this this was in the barrel twice.

SPEAKER_00 55:47

Alright. Well, we're moving on to a very unique cocktail. So for pre-made old fashions, which we've we've covered several already. I mean, my guy.

SPEAKER_06 55:58

So we got yellow stone. Yep. I gotta get these out of the way.

SPEAKER_00 56:02

We've covered a lot, and we're not gonna get through them all, but we'll go through one that is kind of unique. So in Columbus, you have High Bank Distillery, who has actually two old fashions. They have a model of old fashioned that you can buy, like the ones that Tiny has there, and they're ready to go.

Texture Talk From Double Barrel Aging

SPEAKER_00 56:27

But even as good as that is, because it just won platinum on the Ascot award for their for their pre-batch RTD old-fashioned. That's pretty damn good, I would think. But I like this one, which is their pre-made 20-serving simple syrup old-fashioned. So, what's nice about this, you can take this, pour half an ounce of this into whatever bourbon you want. So if you're having

High Bank Mixers And Watershed Love

SPEAKER_00 56:59

a you want to have a couple of them and you want to pour an 80-proof bourbon, you can do an 80-proof bourbon. Tonight, I'm not doing 80-proof. We just did a podcast at Whiskey War and we drank batch 127. Remember that, Jeff?

SPEAKER_06 57:15

I do.

SPEAKER_00 57:16

Barrel proof 127 was delicious. It is a hundred and seven point five six proof. That is what I'm gonna make this old fashioned with. So again, it calls for a quarter to a half ounce. I'm probably gonna use right at the quarter on this one. But but I like this for the fact that you can dial in just like somebody who wants it a little sweeter, they can add a little more. Somebody who doesn't, they can add a little less. It's already ready to go, and then you mix whatever bourbon you want to mix in with it. And again, I like that two ounces, whiskey more barrel proof.

SPEAKER_06 58:11

Yep, they do have those. I have the Elijah Craig version of that right here.

SPEAKER_00 58:18

And that's another one that you can keep in the fridge. It just stays nice and cool, and then you just mix it in.

SPEAKER_06 58:24

Oh, and it is uh between the cherries and that, it's a light up. It's it's a very, very good mixture. Now, to stay in Ohio, I have the and demic. Oh gosh, now all of a sudden, really you're gonna do that to me. Aaron Harris, era old-fashioned mix right there. What?

SPEAKER_00 58:55

I talked to Aaron today.

SPEAKER_06 58:58

How's he doing?

SPEAKER_00 58:59

He's doing good.

SPEAKER_06 59:04

Is he still doing his consulting?

SPEAKER_00 59:07

Yes. Well, he's doing he's not doing consulting, I guess. He's actually doing a little bit of a little bit of bourbon stuff, but he's actually doing some other things completely different from bourbon. Yeah, I heard doing a little bit of both.

SPEAKER_06 59:24

Sometimes the the people have to go and do what they gotta do because they have families, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 59:32

Yeah. And again, that is a really good mixture that makes a nice old-fashioned so and oh my god, it's like way different. There's so much more bourbon flavor in that than the other ones.

SPEAKER_06 59:49

So, this watershed one has an aspect to it that I've always loved. That's one thing I've always thought. Lemon's asked. There's just the right amount of cinnamon, but there's an aspect of the bourbon that with the sweetness and the bitterness of the bourbon that mix together perfectly. That watershed one. I'll always like that one.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:18

Yeah, they did they do and they sell, I think that Ryan told me that they sell more of that than anything. That is their number one skew, is that pre-bash old fashion. So, and again, just kind of tells you the whole way that the the market is. I mean, RTDs are are huge. That's that's what this is about.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:40

Yeah. So now I've got the hand. Have you ever had the Heaven Hill one yet?

SPEAKER_00 1:00:49

I I don't think I've had handshake before now.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:52

Look at the darkness of that baby. How dark that one is. That's the darkest of them all. And this one, I believe it's 84 proof, also. Ready to go. And I'm gonna do it because let's drop. Now I'm gonna use the hand the crystal glen. Max glass, so you gotta use rocks. You can't use the big one because the big but I'm gonna hit this with uh no idea. I'm gonna hit it with orange zest because you should do that when you don't know what it's gonna taste like, right? I mean the blood orange worked really good with the lemon. You know what I mean? With that with the limestone branch. I would highly recommend anybody doing the limestone branch one. You do the the or the lemon zest.

Handshake Pepper Notes And Smoking Gear

SPEAKER_06 1:01:52

And we'll do an Elijah Craig cherry because we don't need all the syrup. Elijah Craig cherries are getting my favorite, I mean, I love Lexardos, I love drunken cherries. I mean, my favorite thing of old fashioned is the ch I love the cherries. So if you give me two cherries, you've almost won. Right? So here we go. Put that over here.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:25

So Wendy came up with if you're a smoker for your old fashioned, these are something you can get from the boy spirits. It's a barrel stained smoker. So inside they put a stainless steel trap in there, you put more wood, and then it's corked with an Archer Elon logo. But the barrel stains are from the barrels that made up for bottles. So it is a really cool little smoker. It sits right on top of the glass. If you're looking for something kind of cool, they're not expensive, they come with the different wood. But if you're looking for a smoker kit that's kind of cool, it's not industrial, it looks like an actual part of the barrel because it is, that's a good way to go.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:14

That is peppery. That is interesting.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:22

Interesting.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:23

Yeah, I've not had a peppery old fashioned ever. There's some pepper happening there. I would say I don't mind it. I mean, uh, I mean, I'm just having sips of this. So just anybody who understood it, it's it's crazy. Wouldn't you say that when you're doing we're just sipping these old fashions, right? And I mean, sipping them like little tiny sips, and I'm catching the sugar aspect, honestly, of an old fashioned will knock you on your ass. There's there's no doubt, you have to respect the old fashion. I mean, this is why go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:13

Yeah, whenever I do them for an event or for a party, I'm always very quick to tell somebody, like, listen, two of these is plenty. Once you go past two, you're probably you drink two two-ounce old fashions, and you're probably in a pretty good space. More than that, you're yeah, that's a bad day.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:38

And people don't realize the delivery system of the sugar into your bloodstream is different than when you're just sipping bourbon. There's a little bit of sugar from minuscule amounts of sugar based off of the caramelized sugar that's in the barrel. When you think about how much caramelized sugar and wood sugars there are for 53 gallons of whiskey, and then how much of it gets evaporated out with the whiskey, you know, when it went into the angel chair, there's not that much sugar in bourbon, but it gives you hints of it. But once you introduce

Sugar Hits Hard So Pace Yourself

SPEAKER_06 1:05:19

simple syrup, soda, cherries, cherry juice, the whole thing, that's a different story. So one of the cool things, one so an old-fashioned is, in my opinion, three things. It's the glass, it's what's in the glass, which is you know, the bourbon and and and how you mix it up. But last but not least, it's the ice. And how you do your ice is always cool, but this one right here is the four roses ice cube that you produce, and it's the rose, and that is for me. I have like five or six of these in my freezer at all times. I emptied them all into now. It's funny because sometimes it the it leaks and it you only get the half little ball there, but still that works as as ice for an old-fashioned. But when it does work and you get the rose, I think it's the number one ice cube for an old-fashioned there is now. I don't have four roses to go in it. I don't know if four roses makes a pre-made cocktail, does it? I don't think it does, actually. I've never seen it, have you? But I'm gonna do the knob creek into that. And a shout out to Sandy No and Freddie. There's a lot of stuff happening.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:54

I'm gonna answer a couple of Facebook things while you do that. Hey, uh, Kirk said that most old fashions are too sweet for his palate. And yes, I would agree that it is definitely a sweet drink. So for me, I'm an uber sweet person, so I like chocolates, I like sweetness. But for you, I would say the the thing you can do to help is cut back the amount. Of simple syrup. So just use simple syrup or a brown sugar simple syrup and just cut it back in half. Add black walnut bitters, and maybe some chocolate bitters, and then use either a rye or more of a barrel strength bourbon, and you will probably find that that fits your palate a little better because it will take over the sweetness and not the sweetness take over the bourbon.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:47

And then also the cherries. Now I will say, out of if he doesn't like a sweet old-fashioned, out of everything I've I've sampled so far, the handshake right there, that would be for you, Kirk, right there. If you can pick up that, if that's out there, or you're at the distillery and you pick that up, that definitely is the one. Now, this is the knob creek one that I picked up. It's called On the Rocks. I put it on the really cool. And I added a cherry to it. I didn't add anything else because I want to know what it tastes like. This one is 72, I think, something. Let's see.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:37

Yeah, and and this one from either number 70 was probably the more cinnamon orange for word. Yeah. And that's why cinnamon comes out in this one.

SPEAKER_06 1:08:47

That's why I let the I hit it with the lemon zest. You know, out of all of them, I honestly, that straight up just does that's a Jim Beam old fashion. They they nailed it. I mean, it it has there's a little bit of the peanut that you pick up from beam in Nom Creek, and you know what I mean? That that is the most

Knob Creek Surprise And Fixing Sweetness

SPEAKER_06 1:09:21

bourbon forward old fashion that I've I've had yet. I did it with the lemon, which must have the lemon must have neutralized the cement cinnamon. So all that's left for me, I don't know what's left for you, but all that's left for me is the one that I just saved the best for last. Which what one you got left? Look! You're you looking at me? Look what look what look which one it is.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:00

Throw that damn bottle below. Don't don't even whatever.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:05

They they they're they deserve the respect. It's still on uh obviously people buy it. Let's give our honest appeal.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:15

They see it, they see it, it's been around, but it's not good.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:23

Do people I don't have a ch I went and bought it today because I wanted them to know.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:30

Bullet, I mean Oh my god, you just fed the beast.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:34

I'm gonna always feed the beast. Look at okay, so all right.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:39

Well, while you're doing that, I'm gonna make you you pour that. Let's let's get your and then I'll finish with my my last one.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:47

Okay, I'll hit this with I think I got one of the because there we go. I'll I'll try and help

The Orange Bottle Roast Test

SPEAKER_06 1:10:58

it by using some Michigan cherry juice.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:03

Oh no, no, I don't want you to alter it at all. Drink it the way it comes out of that stupid orange bottle.

SPEAKER_06 1:11:12

Okay, but two cherries are going in.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:17

See, you're changing it. I want you to try it the way they build it.

SPEAKER_06 1:11:21

But you gotta you gotta give it the zest. What? No. I've given every single one the benefit of the doubt and added the little bit of old-fashioned fun that you can add to it. Right? There you go. Some zest. Here it comes with its little black cork. That's a lot, man. All right. The cherries didn't get in, but I'll get them in. Oh my god. Here we go. It's okay. You know what?

SPEAKER_00 1:12:23

I think they've tastes like cherries because you had at the cherries today.

SPEAKER_06 1:12:27

No, it tastes there's this there's a s a red hot cinnamon flavor to it. All right.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:37

I have to stand up because that bottle takes like every bad bar old-fashioned I've ever had.

SPEAKER_06 1:12:44

Every bad bar old. God, that is funny. All right, there we go.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:54

It is. It's like you go you go to a BW3s or somewhere and you get an old-fashioned because you're you're just dumb enough to think that it's going to be different than what you expect. And they bring it over to you, and the cherry is mashed up. The orange is looks like it just went through a blender, and then you drink it, and it tastes like shit. And every time I'm like, did they just pour the bullet orange bottle over this? Because that's what it tastes like.

SPEAKER_06 1:13:27

Well, can I ask you a question? What is what's so wrong with the bowling alley old fashioned? Okay, so I'll even take it one step forward. I'll add the sprite and we'll make it into a Wisconsin old fashioned. Here we go.

unknown 1:13:54

Oh god.

SPEAKER_06 1:13:57

Hey, that solved everything. That's that's messed up how good that is now. So so if you're gonna if you're gonna do a bullet old fashioned, make sure you convert it into a Wisconsin old fashioned, and you'll be good. You you actually do you do you have a bottle? Do you have a bottle of that? Do you have this?

SPEAKER_00 1:14:26

Of what? This orange bottle?

SPEAKER_06 1:14:31

Yeah, do you actually have it somewhere?

SPEAKER_00 1:14:35

I would never spend my money on that bottle.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:39

You said you tried it, so you spent your money on it.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:42

It's not, it's not like tried it many a time because people I know are naive and they buy it because they see it and they think, oh, it's gonna be good. And then they're like, it's not that good. And then I make them an old fashioned, and they're like, Well, that doesn't taste any of this. This is way better. And I'm like, because that is crap.

unknown 1:15:07

Sorry, bullet.

SPEAKER_06 1:15:08

That's so big. No, don't be sorry to bullet. Everybody buy the bullet old fashioned and turn it into a Wisconsin old fashioned by adding some Sprite, and you're you're you're golden. Wait, all right, you're old you're orange. You're orange.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:29

Are you ready for the best?

SPEAKER_06 1:15:30

Yeah, I'm ready considering I got nine old fashions in front of me.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:37

Okay, best one of the night. Are you ready?

SPEAKER_06 1:15:41

I know what Cooper's craft is. That is a Heaven Hill product.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:45

Okay. So Cooper's Craft. Ironically, I just used for this particular event. This is $36.99.

SPEAKER_06 1:15:58

Right. Candied bacon.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:05

Not candied, just bacon. So we are gonna make the best old fashioned, I think, that is out there as far as unique, something you can't get anywhere. This is a bacon fat wash old fashioned. So this takes time, this takes a little effort. You have to take thick cut bacon, you fry it, you use the the fat, the grease, you emulsify it in the bourbon, which in this case I use Cooper's craft because my son's graduation party is Saturday. Guess what? I'm serving.

SPEAKER_06 1:16:43

Cooper's.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:44

Not to the kids, to the adults.

SPEAKER_06 1:16:46

Your your son's almost an ad. Your son's almost an adult. Yeah, I mean, technically, he's

Bacon Fat Washed Old Fashioned Finale

SPEAKER_06 1:16:54

18, right? He's 18. So he's an adult from the 80s, but he's not a 2026 adult yet.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:08

So by putting the bacon fat in there, emulsifying it, and then pouring, then pulling it out, you get a really killer bacon fat washed old-fashioned. So that's what I'm doing. So, what we're doing, two ounces of the bourbon with bacon fat. We're gonna do two to three dashes of black walnut bitters, and we're gonna do one to two drops, depending on your liking, of chocolate bitters. I'm gonna do two, and then we are gonna add half an ounce of our barrel-aged maple syrup. That is gonna go in there. And we are gonna stir this dude up, and then it's gonna get served over this nice pretty brock with the bacon that we actually cooked to get the grease to make the bacon fat wash. And this is so last year, you remember I had to leave Saturday at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival to go to an event, and this was what the one of the things we did at that event is we make these, and it's a charity event. I went through seven bottles of Buffalo Trace bacon fat wash in a matter of an hour. It is so good. Good lord. Kurt, if you don't want sweet, you want savory, that's your drink. Bacon fashion, that thing is amazing.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:01

And when you're done, you can eat the bacon. Oh that's oh my god. The bacon.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:13

From Wisconsin.

SPEAKER_06 1:19:16

They there the only place Wisconsin's putting bacon is their bloody Marys. They do those bloody Marys with pickles and bacon and uh you ever see those with sub sandwich on top? They go nuts.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:38

This this is a hit. This this thing, no wonder it goes so well. So bacon fat washed, man, it it hits.

SPEAKER_06 1:19:46

I I agree, but does that does a bacon fat washed old fashioned change it from being an old fashioned? I mean, it's just an opinion. All right. So here's some fun facts for everybody. The old fashioned predates the Civil War. It is often called America's first cocktail. Bourbon and rye are now the most common base spirits, but if you're in Wisconsin, it's brandy. So Don Draper from the TV show Mad Men helped spark a huge resurgence in the old-fashioned popularity. So was Don Draper John Hamm? Was that was that the character? So many bartend me neither. I I tried, it was just too effed up for me. I I'm watching Your Friends and Neighbors. That's a phenomenal show. If anybody has Apple TV, it's it's well worth watching. Many bartenders judge a bar by how well it makes an old fashioned. And then if the original cocktail from 1806 is basically an old fashioned, does that make every modern cocktail a descendant of the old fashioned? I mean, if it no, I mean if you're using vodka, the vodka's vodka's like vodka is not. You know what I mean? That's not a de and tequila.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:41

In my opinion, in my opinion, no, because bitters are what make a old-fashioned what it is compared to any other cocktail, is that the use of bitters. And you don't have that in vodka. Vodka is not using bitters.

SPEAKER_06 1:21:58

All right, real quick, I'm gonna tell you which one I like the best. This is gonna be a this is not not gonna have any bias.

SPEAKER_05 1:23:01

Interesting. All right.

Best Bottled Picks And Final Rankings

SPEAKER_05 1:23:24

This one right here.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:27

You like the top Greek one a lot when you drank one?

SPEAKER_06 1:23:30

I do. I'm not saying that's not, but the one that stood out after sitting in ice for the whole time, that's the one. And here it is. It's the Buffalo Trace. The Buffalo Trace, Handy and Schiller. Oh, yeah. That one holds up the best. Second place is easy. That's the that that was the Liberty Pole. Third place was the Iron Fish, and then fourth place was the knob creek. There you go. But I will say if you're if you're looking for a pre-mix, that's it. I mixed up this one, and this was this was good. It's but I did put the soda in. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:38

I will say unaltered in any way, just the way it comes out of the bottle. The Penelope black walnut is heads and tails above most of them. They the apple cinnamon's good, but they definitely are way above the Yellowstone as far as a for me. And again, everybody likes different, and some people are gonna like this that orange bottle that you have. And I don't know what to say about that, but they they will.

SPEAKER_06 1:25:15

Alright, so based off all these, is there one I don't like that I wouldn't drink? No. I added some stuff. So every single one, in my opinion, if you buy it, one I will say there's a couple couple things if you're buying pre-made old fashions that you should have in your arsenal arsenal, right? One maple syrup. Maple syrup is a fantastic simple syrup, correct? Wouldn't you agree? CT? Maple syrup can act as a simple syrup.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:05

Two, you need Especially barrel-aged maple syrup. If you have maple, barrel aged tipple, is it Tippleman's?

SPEAKER_06 1:26:14

Tippelman's burnt brown sugar. Is I mean, if I'm making, I'm gonna say it is used in the Dr. Pepper old fashion. Is that it right there?

SPEAKER_00 1:26:35

No, you know what this is?

SPEAKER_06 1:26:38

It looks like it no, that look, that looks like it's Guinness, but that looks like it's an what what what's the best one of the best bourbon syrups was made by Luca Mariano. Is that in a Luca Mariano bottle?

SPEAKER_00 1:26:55

That's the bottle.

SPEAKER_06 1:26:57

That's what I recognize the Luca Mariano bottle.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:59

That was that was packed.

SPEAKER_06 1:27:00

And they made some damn good. Didn't they? That maples, that bourbon maple syrup. Yeah, that was unbelievable.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:11

They did a very good job. Remember at KDF like three years ago, I bought this, and then when I ran out, I've been using it for all these other things, but now it has a Guinness simple syrup in it, and that is freaking good. It makes a good cocktail.

SPEAKER_06 1:27:28

Matt's like Eagle Rare Maple Syrup is on point. Where the hell are you getting Eagle Rare Maple syrup? No, that that was made by CT. CT. Yeah, you made that. CT made that, bro. That's not real. It was on point, but it's not like anybody can get that. No, Kirk, it's not a thing. Do you have any more left? Because Kirk needs one. Kirk needs one.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:59

I have, I think I have four or five of them left.

SPEAKER_06 1:28:03

All right. So I think we did it. I think we we've come up with it. I know everybody's wants to jump on real quick while it's like I'm I can't stay long because I'll it I'll I won't I won't be able to stay long.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:21

Hey Matt, this is what happens when you leave blue raspberry sour patch kids in vodka for three years.

SPEAKER_06 1:28:31

Oh my god. My wife uses the vodka to make vanilla. Anyways, all right, guys.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:45

I'm gonna get that. I'm go ahead.

SPEAKER_06 1:28:48

I was gonna finish up, but you should finish you. You you finish up with your summary, and then I'll finish up with my summary. We will get it to the people, you know, send out the invitation to people on Facebook.

SPEAKER_00 1:29:06

I I will just say this that enjoy the craft side of making an old fashioned. I've done so many different ones made with a marshmallow toasted rim. And espresso finish. I've done a lot. And I would have never figured out the maple bacon one that I'm drinking now if I hadn't played around with it. So if if you get some of these ingredients, just try it. You'll find that you you hit your palate. And it may be something totally different, like the peach or like a blackberry or whatever, or it may be more maple forward. But go out, buy some of these things and and try it and see what you like.

SPEAKER_06 1:29:53

I agree. Old fashions are amazing. I I think we need to have so July 25th at Mother Stewart's

Experiment At Home And Upcoming Events

SPEAKER_06 1:30:03

is a whiskey festival happening with CT. But I I'm gonna tell you that we need to have a CT cocktail experience that we do. I mean, we have no problem selling out the the bus tour. I don't think we I think if we did a cocktail experience with CT, I think that would be a thing that we could set up, and I think it would be something that a lot of people would want to know because your your passion is right up there with the passions of all the bartenders that are working as bartenders. And honestly, you know deep down that you would if if bartending would pay anything close to what you're doing now, you'd be bartending. But it doesn't bartending it's not gonna pay like like what you know, I get it, but you you fulfill that desire all the time through charity events, through different things, and but I think that we need to do a CT scotchy bourbon boys class where people come and learn, and then you come up with the cocktail for the class and they can leave. I mean, because somebody who wants to do mixology, you definitely are the person to teach them.

SPEAKER_00 1:31:35

Because your passion for flavor, but I take it, but you're you're you are right, and I appreciate that. It's mine is from a different perspective than most people because most people get into it because it's a job, they learn it. I definitely did not do it for that reason, and I did it because I enjoy it and I wanted to come up with something that was different. I will say this July 25th, and and and you made a plug for it there. We are going to be hosting a bourbon cigar night at Mother Stewart's Brewery in Springfield. Tickets have not gone sale yet. I have actually been working on a lot of this, so it's it's going to be 10 Ohio distilleries. Matt knows about it. We have 10 Ohio distilleries coming. They're gonna be sampling, we have cigars. But if we sell out, and you'll see the post coming up soon, I will make the bacon fat washed old fashioned, and we will have it there at the event.

SPEAKER_06 1:32:43

And we should do a Kentucky mule or a mule or mule. Or a tiny mule. No, but if we do a tiny mule.

SPEAKER_00 1:33:05

Walker, I appreciate the fact you won't make me eat more tomatoes, by the way.

SPEAKER_06 1:33:11

Yeah, I I haven't you noticed I've I've not mentioned tomatoes. I I I think you've already let us know that you I can't sit there and go, just try it. You never know. No, we all know we saw it.

SPEAKER_00 1:33:27

Hey. What's funny is so Sandy posted a thing, and I think you posted the same one about like leave one word that describes our friendship, how uh how we know each other. So Sandy had posted that. I literally put tomatoes.

SPEAKER_06 1:33:47

I did it too.

SPEAKER_00 1:33:48

She she's like she responded back, she's like, oh, that is perfect.

SPEAKER_06 1:33:54

Yeah, that's definitely that's that's the one there. All right, everybody. www.scotchybourbonboys.com for all things scotchy bourbon boys. Check it out, Glenn Karen's t-shirts, and contact us. We have updated the website a little bit, but we're gonna do the finalizing real soon. Also, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X along with Apple, iHeart, Spotify. Whether you listen to us or watch us, make sure you leave good feedback, become members, do super chats on the podcast, and you know, everything to support us, every single cent that we get goes right back into this. And remember, good bourbon equals good times and good friends. Thanks, CT, for joining us tonight. Your mixology is respected, and I will say, I'm not worthy. And remember, don't drink and drive. Make sure and live your life uncut and unfiltered.

Where To Follow And Closing Rules

SPEAKER_06 1:35:05

And AI is going to take us out tonight. Here we go. That's tonight.

SPEAKER_07 1:35:46

Some but the girls is yours and lead it out when you walk through that door.

SPEAKER_06 1:35:56

One bottle, one drink, one four. That's a lot more than one drink.

SPEAKER_03 1:36:15

On the rocks of the rock.