Cocktail Bars in Fairfield County CT?

Hopefully I will find some worth reviewing and I will put them up on here.. but until that time anyone have any favorites?

Old Fashioned

The Old Fashioned is the granddaddy of all cocktails.  In fact it pretty much defined the word cocktail.  Any cocktail book you pick up usually has at least a page dedicated to this drink (I think it might be a law). This alone is pretty impressive considering its humble recipe.  As with any classic drink recipes vary widely

The write up from Mr. Boston - really dives into the history of the drink and offers many of the old recipes listed but their modern version as:

1.5 oz Rye or Bourbon (I will forgive them for writing the or.. but if you can't.. i understand)
1 tsp simple syrup
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Lemon Twist

Joy of Mixology focuses mostly on the to muddle fruit or not question (I answered for you and went with not).  Their non-fruit muddling version is:
1 Sugar cube
3 dashes Angostura bitters
3 oz Bourbon or Rye (again with the or)
1 lemon twist


Obviously all of these are served in an Old Fashioned Glass

Common Trade offs

• Bourbon vs Rye:  Choice of whiskey is very common difference with this drink. The original was made with rye but with bourbon's popularity it muscled its way into this drink's recipe.. I personally am an exclusive rye man myself. 
• Simple Syrup vs Sugar Cube: I have been more keen on using simple syrup as it is much easier to get it dissolved vs a sugar cube - but you should try the bitters soaked sugar cube method at-least once if for no other reason than to more appreciate simple syrup's ease.  
• Fruit or no fruit:  Many modern versions have fruit muddled in with the sugar - usually an orange or some cherries (or both).   I stay clear of the whole thing and go with the old fashion Old Fashioned

So what do I drink?

I have been recently going with the Mr. Boston recipe for its ease and tastiness.. If you have a better one please submit it in the comments. 

See Also:

What Rye to use?:  Rye whiskey showdown: Tuthilltown vs. Old Overholt

Rye Whiskey Showdown: Tuthilltown vs Old Overholt

I decided to get a better since of the various rye whiskeys I have stashed away in my bar I would do some head to head comparisons and share the results with all my loyal readers.

In this showdown we have old standby vs micro-distillery up and comer

They players:

• Old Overholt - about as classic as you can get with american whiskey.  Once a staple in grandparents it has be banished to the bottom shelf at most liquor stores (though it is at most liquor stores so that is a plus).  Recently I have seen it being called out by name on some cocktail menus in NYC.  Price: dirt cheap!
• Tuthilltown Manhattan Rye:  Pretty much the opposite of Old Overholt.  Each bottle is hand filled, numbered, corked, and waxed.  Only comes in 375ml bottles.  Price: ~$45 for a 375 (ouch)

**************

Battle 1:  Head-to-Head (straight)

setup:  I was in a whiskey with an ice cube kind of mood so I decided to throw one in - I know some purists just cringed but whatever it is a even playing field

Old Overholt:
Spiciness you expect from a rye while being lean and mean with a sweet/tart thing going on and a lasting dryness.

Tuthilltown:
Much more complex - loads more spice plus a deep woody flavor that finishes with a strong char flavor

Winner:  I am not a habitual rye whiskey sipper so when I do I would probably be drawn to the complexity of the Tuthilltown.. though if I was drinking this every night I would heavily consider the much cheaper Old Overholt

***************

Battle 2:  Cocktails (Old Fashioned's)

Setup:
Two identical Old Fashioned's
1.5 oz Rye Whiskey
1 tsp simple syrup
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Lemon Twist


Tuthilltown:  Deep flavor, lots of spices coming from the whiskey and the bitters.  Seems also getting a lot of sweetness mixed with a cinnamon and fruit. There is a lot going on here.. not exactly what I think about for an Old Fashioned but not in a bad way

Old Overholt:  Much lighter and much more bright.   Noticeable citrus from the twist.  Bottom line about the basic old fashioned taste I can think of.

Winner:  Draw - While the Tuthilltown took on a life of its own and really made the drink something it wasn't exactly what I think of when I turn to an old fashioned.. a lot more flavors.

Oktoberfest in CT

The blog CTBites had a recent post about where to go to celebrate Oktoberfest.   I am a strong supporter of Oktoberfest in general so I suggest you try a few of their suggestions.

Some Food With Your Drink

For those of you who love, live, or are trapped in Fairfield County CT - you should really check out CTBites.  A really great blog about food in/around Fairfield County.  From time to time they post some good cocktail recipes and advertise for some fun drinking type events as well.

happy reading.

Gin and Tonic + Earl Grey Bitters

I often find throwing some sort of bitters into your standard Gin and Tonic can really punch up a nice casual drink.  So fresh off making my first bitters I decided to try out my old stand by.

Recipe

• 1 part Gin (Tanqueray)
• 3 parts Tonic (Q Tonic)
• 2 healthy dashes  Earl Grey Bitters No. 1

Mix with ice in a Highball Glass

Results:

To tell the truth i was somewhat disappointed - I thought I would work better than it did.  The tea did have a nice touch but it was merely different not great.

Recommendation:

I can do better

Earl Grey Bitters No. 1

For my first ever bitters* experiment I decided to keep it simple

Recipe

• 2 parts Earl Grey Flavor
• 1 part Lemon Flavor

Result:

Has a pretty simple and very tea like taste (I mean what else was I expecting)  - there are some good tannins from the tea and while the flavor of the end result is driven 80% by the tea the lemon somewhat smooths it out.

Rating:

holding off until I make more before any recommendations - but since it is my first.. it is my favorite so far

* I am unsure if tea is an acceptable bittering agent - enough so to really call these bitters.. but as I have said elsewhere on this blog.. i don't care