Blackened Cocktails

The history of the Press goes way back to the early cocktail days, so it’s withstood the taste-test of time. A quick and easy cocktail, like a Moscow Mule or a Highball, it’s simply whiskey, ginger ale, and soda. To make the best Press, use good ice to limit dilution, such as a spear of block ice, and high-quality sodas. The Press cocktail is the perfect refreshing drink for a hot summer day!

The Manhattan cocktail was invented in New York City’s Manhattan Club, sometime in the late 19^th century and quickly stole the show. The popularity of the cocktail hasn’t diminished over the years, possibly because of its appeal to discerning palates, or perhaps because it’s one of the easiest cocktails to make. The Manhattan recipe consists simply of American whiskey, sweet vermouth and bitters. An easy way to remember this recipe is the famed New York, NY zip code 212. Early recipes specified rye whiskey as the base spirit, giving it a bit more spice, whereas bourbon yields a more mellow cocktail. BLACKENED, with its high rye mash bill offers the best of both worlds, making it the best whiskey for a Manhattan. This classic cocktail offers an endless amount of riff possibilities, so get creative and explore your own recipes…once you learn the rules of course.

The Old Fashioned’s origin is the Whiskey Cocktail – a simple compound of spirit, sugar, bitters and water. In the late 19^th century, bartenders of the day began tinkering with their own riffs to the dismay of those in favor of the original recipe. For those enthusiasts, they’d order the drink as an “Old Fashioned”, or so the story goes. History lesson aside, the Old Fashioned cocktail is perhaps the most popular whiskey drink around, and a go-to for most whiskey enthusiasts.

If you’re a fan of the Negroni…then there’s a pretty good chance you’ll love an Old Pal. Created by renowned barman Harry MacElhone of Harry’s New York Bar in Paris in the 1920’s, the Old Pal cocktail is actually a riff of a Boulevardier, another cocktail created by Harry. The Boulevardier calls for bourbon, Campari and sweet vermouth. The Old Pal recipe uses the same, but instead of the sweet vermouth, it calls for dry vermouth, allowing the whiskey flavors to be more prominent. Although the original recipe calls for equal parts of whiskey, Campari and vermouth, we like a slightly boozier take which gives BLACKENED center stage.

The history of the Whiskey Sour cocktail is uncertain, but the earliest printing appeared circa 1862 in Jerry Thomas Bartenders Guide. What is certain, however, is that the Whiskey Sour has been a crowd favorite for well over a century! The original Whiskey Sour recipe called for whiskey, lemon juice, sugar and egg white, which created a rich and silky-smooth texture. It’s important to dry shake the ingredients to get the perfect amount of froth. Some people choose to use a whiskey sour recipe no egg, but we always opt for the classic Whiskey Sour.