A New Fashioned Way to Enjoy an Old Fashion!

This week, some cocktail survivor tips…  If your plane goes down in the Andes and you only have time to save a few items from the bar, you can still make some very tasty cocktails.  And, you’re going to want a couple of drinks in you before you have to start eating your fellow passengers.

Hosts sometimes get carried away buying truck loads of booze with the intention of providing a bar comparable to what people find in an upscale nightclub.  Attempts at overbearing bars are made worst by a trend among professional bartenders to create very complex drinks using the most obscure specialty ingredients.  If you like highly-complex cocktails that are fined with egg whites and blended with urine from a three-legged goat – Godspeed.  I’m not saying there’s anything inherently wrong with overachieving bartenders, or goat urine, for that matter.  However, when you’re hosting a party, it’s best to keep things simple and it doesn’t hurt to save a little bit of money, too.

Fortunately, even classic cocktails can be given a new twist to make them more fun and plane crash friendly.   One classic recipe that tastes great and can be simplified down to only three ingredients is the venerable Old Fashion.  Traditional recipes call for the muddling, or crushing, of a sugar cube with bitters.  That’s not very party friendly because you have to take time to muddle the sugar in addition to stocking sugar in your party bar, which can make a sticky, nasty mess. So, this 30-Second Bartender version eliminates the sugar and adds some carbonation, which is a more modern take on the Old Fashion. It’s kind of a New Fashion, but it tastes great!

                                                     Ingredients

* 1 ½ oz. Bourbon * ½ oz. Triple Sec * 6 oz. Lemon/Lime Soda or Cherry 7up  * Maraschino Cherry and/or Orange Wedge (optional if stranded in the Andes)

Pour in an ounce and a half of Bourbon into a 10 oz. glass that’s about half full of ice. Originally, the drink would pour into a 3-5 oz. glass called an old fashion, but this is a New Fashion!  Add half an ounce of Triple Sec and then finish with either a lemon/lime soda or a cherry-flavored clear soda, like Cherry 7up. Garnish with a cherry and an orange wedge.

Complicated and expensive drinks are loads of fun when you’re at your friend’s bachelor party and he’s paying.  But when you’re entertaining, minimize the headaches and the bill by keeping simple.  Remember, there are plenty of tasty, easy-to-mix recipes and time-saving party tips at www.30-SecondBartender.com.  You can also keep up with the latest booze news on Facebook.  Live the Party!

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