Après Eclipse
Suzanne Pollak
Q: What’s better than hosting eleven for dinner? A: Making cocktails for just a few!
This August, invite guests over for a Late Summer Old Fashioned. Serve with a platter of coppa, speck & pâté (we rely on Goat Cow Sheep) along with silver bowls full of almonds and heirloom cherry tomatoes. Easy Peasy!
Here's to make our signature cocktail, plus a tip on how to refresh your drink without overdoing it.
Late Summer Old Fashioned
- 1 1/2 ounce (Blanton’s is the Dean’s current favorite but can be hard to find...)
- Mountain Valley soda
- Generous drops of Peach Bitters (no need to be stingy!)
- Drops of Angostura Bitters
- Fresh slice of peach and a cherry (fresh or Luxardo Maraschinos)
- Fill cocktail glass with large cubes of ice. Pour in bourbon.*
- Sprinkle quite a few drops of peach bitters on top (five to ten according to your love of peaches) plus three or four drops Angostura bitters.
- Top with soda, and garnish with a slice of peach and a cherry.
- To slow down after one or too many drinks, without throwing in the towel, make this cocktail sans bourbon. In your same glass, refresh the ice, pour a speciality soda (Fever Tree or Mountain Valley), then top with a generous splattering of bitters. This concoction is as delicious as a real cocktail and will make you feel better in the morning.
*To use an old bartender's trick -- three to five second pours equal an ounce or two in the glass.
Cheers, and Happy Eclipse-ing, from the Academy's Summer School!