Wausau Pilot & Review
Spirits 101 is a weekly feature from Wausau Pilot & Review and Timekeeper Distillery. Each Friday afternoon, Dan Weber joins us for a journey through spirits and cocktails, and a deeper dive into the craft industry as a whole. If you have questions or ideas for future topics, be sure to leave them in the comments below the YouTube video. Watch the video and read Dan’s explanation for a better understanding of the craft spirits you enjoy. Cheers!
Spirits 101: The Perfect Old Fashioned
With Lent coming to a close we thought it would be great to get everyone up to speed on the iconic “Old Fashioned” that pairs so well with a local fish fry.
There are two types of old fashioneds we serve at Timekeeper Distillery. First is the “classic old fashioned.” If you have ever ordered an old fashioned outside of the state, you likely found yourself looking at a very spirit forward cocktail with no soda or muddled cherry. The cocktail compiles your sugar, bitters, and spirit into a mixing glass with ice. The bartender then stirs and strains this cocktail to rest over ice. In our case we like a large hand-cut ice cube as it slows down the dilution of the cocktail and then we add an orange peel for garnish to give the cocktail a citrus finish.
However, if you order an old fashioned in Wisconsin you’re likely to have your cocktail made with a muddled cherry, orange slice, and sugar cube. The whiskey or brandy is then added to your muddled base, topped off with Sprite, and garnished with a cherry and orange slice. This cocktail is much sweeter than its classic counterpart.
Thank you so much for joining us on Spirits 101. If there are any topics you would like covered make sure to leave a message in the comments section. Cheers!
Daniel J Weber
