Name your poison

The right tools for the right job

My favorite drink these days is a variation on a pre-Prohibition-era drink called a Whiskey Cocktail. It's based on Jennifer Colliau's recipe from Small Hand Foods.

The cocktail's supposed to be made with bourbon (Buffalo Trace is recommended), but I use Bulleit small-batch rye. The Buffalo Trace has a lot of body, the Bulleit has a lot of character. It's a preference thang.

Here's the recipe, if you're curious. Ingredients are listed in their pictured order, left to right.

1/4 oz simple syrup (1:1 sugar-to-water ratio)
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash orange bitters
2 oz. Bulleit rye (green label) or Buffalo Trace bourbon
1 lemon peel

Add simple syrup and bitters to an old-fashioned glass.
Add lemon peel and muddle moderately to release the oils.
Add rye (or bourbon).
Add large ice cubes (I use either the Tovolo King cube mold or the amazingly cool Tovolo sphere ice balls).
Stir for 15-20 seconds.