The Old Fashioned is pretty much my go-to cocktail these days. And if it’s made with Woodford Reserve, well then all the better. So an invitation to attend an Old Fashioned masterclass hosted by Woodford Reserve brand ambassador Tom Vernon at South Place Hotel’s SPIES Society bar and to enter a Classic American Cocktail competition based on my takeaway from the event was greatly appreciated.
The idea behind the class was to demonstrate the versatility of Woodford and how basic the recipe for an Old Fashioned is.
Once all the competing recipes are in, Vernon and South Place’s head bartender will choose a winning cocktail to be featured on the hotel’s menu for a month.
I had a fine time during the class and thought the hotel’s first floor bar was as fine a place to sip a cocktail as any I’ve come across in London. As for the competition, I thought it would be a good opportunity to play around with this classic drink recipe and taste how it paired up with some of my favourite flavours.
Concocting an Old Fashioned with my own special twist involved was a lot of fun. Only trouble was deciding which of my recipes to submit. So I’ll just share my three top contenders:
- Hot Cross Old Fashioned (just in time for Easter);
- Wild Rose Old Fashioned;
- Chipotle, Sage and Maple Old Fashioned.
The recipe for each follows, preceded by Woodford Reserve’s own recipe for making an Old Fashioned. Cheers!
Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned
Glass: Rocks/Old Fashioned
Ice: Cubed
Method: Stir
Garnish: Orange Twist
Ingredients:
50ml Woodford Reserve
15ml sugar syrup
3 dashes of angostura bitters
Method:
Add the sugar syrup to the glass with the bitters. Add roughly 1/3 of the Woodford Reserve with 3 ice cubes and stir. Repeat until the Woodford Reserve is finished. Garnish and serve.
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Hot Cross Old Fashioned
Glass: Rocks/Old Fashioned
Ice: Cubed
Method: Stir
Garnish: Orange twist
Ingredients:
50ml Woodford Reserve
15ml sugar syrup
Generous splash of Pedro Ximenez
Pinch of nutmeg
Method: Add the sugar syrup to the glass with the Pedro Ximenez and nutmeg. Add roughly 1/3 of the Woodford Reserve with 3 ice cubes and stir. Repeat until the Woodford Reserve is finished. Garnish and serve.
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Wild Rose Old Fashioned
Glass: Rocks/Old Fashioned
Ice: Cubed
Method: Stir
Garnish: Orange twist
Ingredients:
50ml Woodford Reserve
15ml sugar syrup
25ml rose water
Dash of Hickory Liquid Smoke
Pinch of celery salt
Method:
Add the sugar syrup to the glass with the rose water, liquid smoke, and celery salt. Add roughly 1/3 of the Woodford Reserve with 3 ice cubes and stir. Repeat until the Woodford Reserve is finished. Garnish and serve.
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Chipotle, Sage and Maple Old Fashioned
Glass: Rocks/Old Fashioned
Ice: Cubed
Method: Stir
Garnish: Orange twist and a sprig of sage
Ingredients:
50ml Woodford Reserve
15ml maple syrup
Few leaves of fresh sage
3 dashes of Tabasco Chipotle Sauce
Method: Rub the rim of the glass with a few leaves of fresh sage. Add the maple syrup to the glass with the chipotle sauce. Add roughly 1/3 of the Woodford Reserve with 3 ice cubes and stir. Repeat until the Woodford Reserve is finished. Garnish and serve.
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Look for Woodford Reserve at Waitrose, Ocado, Tesco and Asda and your local independent spirits shop (recommended retail price of £31. Find out more at woodfordreserve.com. To learn more about responsible consumption, please visit responsibility.org.
South Place Hotel is located at 3 South Place, EC2M 2AF. Find out more at southplacehotel.com.
