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!
