The Standard

Earlier this year I talked about variations of the Old Fashioned that are enjoyed in our house. Since then, I noticed I kept returning to one specific variant and thought it only fair to share. By and large, this variant is in keeping with those discussed earlier, but there is a new dancer at the disco - orange curacao.

Like many, when shopping for orange curacao, I would trundle down to the liqueur/schnapps section of the bottle shop and pluck out one of the cheaper offerings. How nonsensical that I would agonize over a cocktail's main spirits, purchasing the best examples I could, but then put near-zero effort into the support player's selection. That all changed when I was strongly urged by a friend to consider purchasing a 'proper' curacao, one actually comprised of cognac/brandy and real bitter orange peels from the curacao orange (yup, an actual fruit!). I am here to tell you malt mates and bourbon buddies, what a difference it makes - gone is the syrupy, cloyingly artificial orange imposter and in its place a graceful, smooth, authentically orange elixir. If interested, the brand used is Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao and can be found in most large liquor stores for ~$35/750 ml. Now, let's get mixing!

Ingredients

• 1/3 ounce Dry Orange Curacao
• 1 tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup
• 3/4 ounce Rye Whiskey
• 3/4 ounce 'smooth' Bourbon Whiskey (Four Roses Small Batch in this case)
• 3/4 ounce 'feisty' Bourbon Whiskey (Evan Williams Bottled in Bond in this case)
• 5 dashes Peychaud's Bitters

Technique

1. Pour the curacao into your glass and give the glass a good swirl such that the curacao coats the sides of the glass. 
2. Add the maple syrup to the glass
3. Add each of the whiskeys
4. Add the bitters
5. Give everything a good stir then taste. If too sweet, add more whiskey. If too bitter, add more maple syrup. Adjust to your preferences, keeping in mind we will be adding ice next, so some dilution will occur. Personally, I prefer a more whiskey-forward taste than sweetness, but you are the king or queen of your cocktail.
6. Add ice and stir well for ~30 seconds. If desired, remove ice.
7. Cheers!