The Old Fashioned's Getting New Respect

allaboutgeorge/Flickr

A bourbon old fashioned at The Alembic.

​On a recent episode of Mad Men, a series that's done as much for smoking and drinking as William Powell, Humphrey Bogart, and Bette Davis put together, beleaguered yet chronically suave ad exec Don Draper finds himself at a soul-pulverizing company get-together at a Long Island estate, retreats to the bar when no one's looking, and mixes up a pair of perfect old fashioneds for himself and another party getaway. Draper's bartending skills are enviable: the cooling of the glasses, the muddling of the fruit, the casual yet impeccable measuring and pouring of the ingredients, the final stir, pour, and sip.

The old fashioned deserves such skill and attention, if only because of its heritage (the basic recipe dates back to the early 19th century) and the way its cool, sweet, potent flavors can soothe the most savaged superego. Place a sugar cube, a splash of water, and a slice of orange or a maraschino cherry in the bottom of (yes) an old fashioned glass. Muddle until the sugar's dissolved and the fruit has rendered its juices. Add an ice cube or two. Put more ice cubes in a mixing glass, add enough bourbon for your purposes plus two dashes of bitters, and stir briskly until everything's nice and cold. Pour into the prepared glasses and imbibe.

Not into DIY? Daniel Hyatt at The Alembic (1725 Haight at Shrader) and Neyah White at Nopa (560 Divisadero at Hayes) are bringing new brilliance to an old classic. Rye or even brandy can be substituted for the bourbon, but don't fool around with the basic alchemy otherwise. Eight generations of the thirsty and bedeviled can't be wrong.