Jacob, I’m delighted that you found this post, and a recipe that works well for your modifications. There’s something about the Old-Fashioned that lends it perfectly to modification and experimentation. I particularly like the idea of adding a dash of Peychaud’s; it sounds delicious, and I’m looking forward to trying it out, perhaps tonight. Thanks!

Wow…

I don’t know if I have the courage for this one—equal parts concentrate, whiskey, and beer, that’s a daunting flavor combination. Perhaps I’ll give it a try on some hot, sweltering summer afternoon. Perhaps.

This is a great story, very amusing, and I love the details. Thanks for following up.

Okay Doug, here’s the verdict. The unedited response from my Dad when I e-mailed and asked about a Polish Whiskey Sour is below:

Too funny. Haven’t had one in years. It was something we invented. It was made up of a can of frozen lemon or lime concentrate, the same amount of whiskey (your choice) and a can of beer (your choice). All mixed in a punch bowl. Very strong drink. Granny Warner loved them. Just one and she would dance around the living room with my cowboy hat on to the John Denver record. If I remember correctly we made them first in Dearborn Michigan when Larry Kutlarik(spelling) and his wife would come over. That’s where the Polish part came in as they were polish and I made up the story that it was a P/W/Sour. Enjoy the History. Love to you all DAD

So there you go… not something a bartender is going to know how to make, but maybe you can try it out at your bar at home! I plan on giving it a try. Maybe we can turn it into a famous cocktail!!

Thanks. And I think there are a lot of people who will agree with you about the Sidecar, what a gorgeous drink that is.

I may try both, see how they taste. Also, I saw another post that talked about muddled fruit (and your reply), and as my palate favors sweeter drinks, I may try that as well.

Thanks for your replies and advice. You sure seem to know your booze!

ha … gotta love that miniature cheesehead hat on the bottles of Cheesehead Wine. It’s a very sweet white table wine … and the color .. dare I say it…. cheesey yellow?! Thanks Doug!

Yeah, there’s something good about a simple drink in a heavy rocks glass. One big piece of ice. Life is good.

My favorite thing about the “original” recipe for the Old-Fashioned is that you could make the drink with any spirit you pleased—it didn’t have to be whiskey, it could be gin, brandy, even wine. And Jerry Thomas’s “Improved Whiskey Cocktail” is modeled directly on his recipe for the “Improved Brandy Cocktail,” so I’d say the field is wide open for using just about any whiskey that pleases you. Historically, the commonly available whiskies would have been rye and bourbon; the Canadians would have had, well, Canadian. There is absolutely no reason that Scotch wouldn’t work in this drink—all that matters is that you like the flavor. So you are exactly right with your instinct that both could be used; you have two distinctly different whiskies there, and a great opportunity to try them both and see if you prefer one over the other.

I think the key with the Old Fashioned, or Improved Whiskey Cocktail, is some good bitters and keeping it simple. Make mine on the rocks with a nice and weighty low-ball glass. Perfect.

Really the best blue cheeses are French, imo. I’ve tried other countries, but keep going back to the French blue cheeses. I usually buy the high end stuff at Whole Foods. If I’m cooking with it, I just buy the cheap stuff at the grocery store, have no idea where it comes from. I’d think in a martini, since the bleu cheese is adding such a big flavor hit, you’d want the high end stuff!

Thanks. I sure would have used Maraschino cherry juice if you had not steered me in the right direction! I’m not a huge drinker, have had bottles of booze around for years. I currently have an unopened bottle of Macallan 12 Single Malt Whiskey — will that work for the whiskey part of this drink? I also have some Jim Beam bourbon whiskey left — is that better? Or could the both be used?

I once asked for a whiskey stone sour and had to tell the bartender how to make it. I know that is not like asking for a “slow comfortable screw up against the wall” but, really, you do not know a three-ingredient drink? Great post and congrats on being featured.

That would be very cool, though if everybody teleported their straws at once, I’d have no drink left.

I have the same fascination, wondering where these drinks came from. And history is a long study. As Chaucer said, “the life so short, the craft so long to learn…”

Yeah, that’s sad. Go figger…