Clear Ice for my Old Fashioned

[MJSBBQ]

The clear ice cube is really a "cool" factor when friends come over. I have heard it doesn't have any different taste.

A single big fat cube instead of multiple small cubes does make a big difference with the dilution. For good stuff. I use one big cube. I gave up on making the clear stuff, and simply bought a rubber form from Bed and Bath for $10, It makes 6 big square cubes that easily come out when needed.

Of course if someone brings real good stuff, no cubes!

[bamabob]

The bourbon... This was a store-pick bottle of single-barrel Eagle Rare. It's a nice bottle, but not a lot of character. I prefer Four Roses single barrel or I.W. Harper, but now you are starting to spend too much money for a mixer bourbon. Wild Turkey 101 makes a decent mixer in my opinion. My ideal price point for a mixer bourbon is $25 and below. I found a couple of bottles of Weller Special Reserve the other day for about $20. Kind of hard to find in these parts. I know lots of folks love this bourbon, but it didn't do anything special for me. I'll use it as a mixer all day long, though!

Don't get me started talking about whiskey, I'll never shut up!! Bottom line, drink what you want, the way you want it!

Cheers!

You ever try Benchmark?  It's made by Buffalo Trace and around here sells for around $20 a handle.  I attended a blind taste test between it and two other bourbons and it tied for first.  Tied with Buffalo Trace and beat Woodford Reserve.  Now I have noticed that the taste can vary a little from batch to batch but I think that is true of all bourbons these days as they are rushed to market due to high demand.  I use it as a mixer and a sipper.

[ClimberDave]

So to answer a few questions, the ice didn't taste cleaner or better. I'm happy with the neutral taste of my water here (it's city water that is filtered thru the fridge, and I keep the filters pretty fresh). I think it made the drink more enjoyable because the big chunk of clear ice melted slower and didn't water down the cocktail too quickly. I'm a believer that your cocktail goes through stages as time goes by. My goal is to make it near-perfect and let it evolve into the perfect amount of water to alcohol blend a few minutes after serving.

As for my favorite Old Fashioned recipe? I honestly don't have one yet, but I am having fun trying different bourbon, bitters and sugar combinations. For this batch I used a simple syrup I made from brown sugar and Fee Brothers Old Fashioned bitters (my first time), and it was quite tasty. Lots of cinnamon and wood-bark notes. There is a local NM company from Santa Fe called The Bitter End that makes some outstanding bitters. I like Angostura orange bitters too. The bourbon... This was a store-pick bottle of single-barrel Eagle Rare. It's a nice bottle, but not a lot of character. I prefer Four Roses single barrel or I.W. Harper, but now you are starting to spend too much money for a mixer bourbon. Wild Turkey 101 makes a decent mixer in my opinion. My ideal price point for a mixer bourbon is $25 and below. I found a couple of bottles of Weller Special Reserve the other day for about $20. Kind of hard to find in these parts. I know lots of folks love this bourbon, but it didn't do anything special for me. I'll use it as a mixer all day long, though!

Don't get me started talking about whiskey, I'll never shut up!! Bottom line, drink what you want, the way you want it!

Cheers!

Thats a great price for Weller SR,  I got some a few months ago  for  $28   its  almost impossible to get around here and if you find it  they are selling for more that  $100

Eagle Rare does make a tasty cocktail.   
For mixing I like Buffalo Trace which i can usually get in a  1.75 liter bottle.  It makes an excellent  OF  as  does   Wild Turkey 101  is good too and easy to find.

My recipe  for any interested is;

2oz bourbon
scant 1/4oz gum (gomme) syrup, if avail  if not  rich simple syrup
Bitters  usually Angostura, but I have others  including Fee Bros and more.  4-5 dashes
2 dashes  orange bitters  ( I like my bitters!!)
Stirred on ice and served on a single large cube if available
Garnish that with an orange peel that you expressed the oil over the glass and a fancy cherry!

1/4 of the simple syrup can be a tad sweet  so i used just shy of that.   Regardless if  fun to experiment  with different ratios, whiskys and bitters!!