Old Fashioned Cocktail
My favorite cocktail, the Old Fashioned is well…old. The sentiment behind this cocktail is what I really love. In the late 19th century, cocktails were getting elaborate, flashy and over the top ... Old timers bellied up to the bar and demanded a no frills “old fashioned cocktail.” Like in the good old days before all the nonsense. These are my people! I may be 32 on the outside but I’m a nostalgic old curmudgeon deep down.
What they were referring to was the Whiskey Cocktail, first recorded in 1806, which was just whiskey, bitters, sugar and water. Originally a morning-pick me up, almost medicinal remedy. Even Mark Twain subscribed to the hype. In a letter to his wife he said “Livy my darling, I want you to be sure & remember to have, in the bathroom, when I arrive, a bottle of Scotch whisky, a lemon, some crushed sugar, & a bottle of Angostura bitters. Ever since I have been in London I have taken in a wine glass what is called a cock-tail before breakfast, before dinner, & just before going to bed.”
So he was essentially drinking an Old Fashioned 3 times a day so he was feeling pretty good. Not sure why he specified this be in the bathroom… maybe it feels more like medicine if you drink it in your bathroom. Oh the 19th century. . . when Americans consumed 3 times more alcohol than today. Such wild times indeed, that school children often started their day with “flip” a mixture of fruit juice and grain alcohol. It’s no wonder the temperance movement was so powerful in this century!
So where were Americans drinking these cocktails in the Gilded Age? If you’ve seen my post on Food in the Gilded Age, you know fine dining was all the rage. You could absolutely get a number of cocktails at Delmonico’s or Waldorf Astoria, or at the famously glamorous bar of the Hoffman House. I mean…can you even imagine being here? Then of course there were luxurious dining cars that appeared in the late 1860’s that reflected the budding restaurant culture. Look at these dining cars! What I would give to time travel to 1870 to drink champagne in this dining car while on a railroad adventure. In 1877, the Chicago and North Western line offered 35 main courses and 25 desserts…. ON A TRAIN. I need to see the kitchen car! That’s luxury.
Glamour and scandal go hand in hand and these restaurants were no exception. Delmonico’s and Sherry’s may have been where you took your wife to dinner, but there were more discreet places to take your mistress. Restaurants like Rector’s, Churchill’s, Stanley’s and the Knickerbocker got reputations as “lobster palaces” where showgirls with expensive tastes were wined and dined.
We get a glimpse of this negative connotation in the HBO series The Gilded Age when Aunt Ada says “that Marian isn’t out lighting men’s cigars at Delmonico’s”, to imply her innocence. But it was the truth… women weren’t in good standing in society if seen out on the town, drinking with men late at night. It wasn’t a good look. In fact, many hotels and restaurants had designated areas for unescorted women to protect respectable women from being harassed or worse, mistaken for a lady of Ill repute. Many restaurants and bars actually turned women away under the guise of “protecting their reputations” and served only men, like the Hoffman House seen here….no women (just naked paintings & sculptures of women…and a strange little bar bear). Hi ya buddy!
In response to the lustful living in the underbelly of society, the pendulum swung back to temperance and chastity. Of course, there was the Temperance movement which suggested we all stop drinking alcohol and switch to soft drinks like root beer. Then came the dietary reformers like Sylvester Graham who led many to believe that a pure diet free from meat, alcohol, caffeine and other stimulants would reduce the excessive sexual desire that plagued our nation. Yes, the inventor of granola led many to believe that the leading cause of blindness and other health issues could be cured if only Americans kept their thoughts pure. He wasn’t the only one to cash in on this theory. All right… it’s time to talk about the Kellogg’s…
The original celebrity doctor, John Harvey Kellogg served as chief medical officer of the Battle Creek Sanitarium, a health center emphasizing exercise, a plant based diet free of alcohol & caffeine, with frequent enemas. Sounds like a blast. But it was good enough for Mary Todd Lincoln, John D. Rockefeller, Amelia Earhart, Dale Carnegie & Henry Ford.
Along with his younger brother William, the Kelloggs started a cereal company which ultimately led to the demise of their relationship. William wanted to add sugar to the cereal and Dr. John Harvey did not. Ill let you guess which Americans preferred. The younger brother went on to become very rich indeed and Kellogg’s cereals like corn flakes became world famous. Older brother, Dr. Kellogg went on to advise many celebrities and presidents on health, including a strong stance against tobacco. What’s really troubling is Dr. Kellogg’s leadership in the American Eugenics movement. He used his fortune to start the Race Betterment Foundation, which led 3 well attended conferences designed to the preserve the white race. Back at the Battle Creek Sanitarium, as a patient, C.W. Post got the inspiration to create HIS own cereal, Post Grape-Nuts. Kellogg believed that Post had stolen his recipe. Post died in 1914, one of the richest men in the United States. His daughter, Marjorie Post took that fortune and built the sprawling Palm Beach estate..Mar A Lago. Maybe you’ve heard of it.
One last story before part ways…about a temperance crusader…and I do mean crusader. Carry Nation. The 6 foot tall hatchet wielding woman who dedicated her life to abolishing alcohol in the United States by busting into Gilded Age saloons of the the Midwest. Sure there were groups of women who tried to curb the thirst of Americans by singing hymns in saloons, even bringing children into the bar asking patrons “have you seen my daddy?” Child’s play. Carry Nation, armed with bricks, rocks and a HATCHET, very literally destroyed bars single-handedly & smashed any bottle of liquor she could find. After being arrested more than 30 times and banned from my hometown Kansas City, Missouri, after a particularly fervent bar beating, Carrie put down the hatchet in favor of more peaceful protest.
Old Fashioned Cocktail
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Bourbon
- 1 sugar cube
- 1 splash of water
- 2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters
- 1 orange peel (twisted to express the oils)
- 1 marachino cherry (optional)
- Large ice cube
Instructions
- In a large old fashioned rocks glass, place a sugar cube, add bitters and a splash of water. Using a muddler, dissolve the sugar cube by muddling the mixture very well.
- Add the bourbon, stir, then the ice and stir again.
- Top with the orange slice and maraschino cherry.
Notes
To make crystal clear ice, use an insulated metal coffee mug filled partially with water. Allow to freeze completely in a freezer. To remove, allow to sit at room temperature for an hour and turn it upside to remove.