Old Fashioned

August 15-21 is Midtown Cocktail Week in Sacramento with boozy parties and cocktail-making classes all week long. In its honor, I requested this amazing homemade maraschino cherry Old Fashioned recipe from a new friend, the newly minted Jersey Girl, Zoe H. (check out her new blog, Lamb's Quarterly). The cherries are spicy, fresh and retain their snap - a million miles away from those nuclear red, squishy sweet ones from the bar.

Tweet

Old Fashioned
Servings: About 10 drinks
Time: About 20 minutes active; Less than one hour total
Price: About $3.40 per drink
Nutrition (per serving):
Calories: 159.2
Protein: 0g
Fat: 0g
Saturated fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 3.6g
Fiber: 0g
Sodium: 2mg
Cholesterol: 0mg

For the Maraschino Cherries (makes about 10 drinks):
1/4 cup raw, turbinado sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthways
1 cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
2 lemon rind slices, about 1/2" thick
2 cups fresh cherries, pitted

Per Drink:
2 lemon rind slices, about 1/2" thick
1/4 tsp raw, turbinado sugar
5 drops of Bitters
2 tsp Maraschino Cherry juice
Ice
2 oz Good quality Rye Whiskey (I used Bulleit 95 Rye)
2 Maraschino Cherries

1. In small pot over medium heat, stir together 1 1/2 cup water, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves and lemon rind. Bring to a boil and reduce to 1 1/4 cup liquid, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the cherries and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a glass jar. Let cool or refrigerate overnight.

3. To make a drink, muddle lemon rind, sugar, bitters and cherry juice until the sugar is mostly broken down. Add one large or three regular ice cubes to the glass. Pour in whiskey and stir and then add cherries.