Whiskey / Rye along with Cognac / Brandy were the first spirits to be exported widely on an international level. This is why most of the great classic cocktails from around the time of the cocktails inception, (America circa 1800) use either as their base. Lately a huge resurgence has been seen amongst top bartenders for these classic tipples, steering away from the mass marketed long refreshing vodka elixirs. So next time you visit a top bar and want to grab the bartenders admiration, order an Old Fashioned, and for bonus points, made with Woodford Reserve.

All these classics take a long time to make and require a lot of love to obtain the correct depth of flavour and dilution. Top bars in the UK will immediately serve the worthy recipient of an Old Fashioned a cleansing larger as they can take 10 minutes to prepare. One other thing about classic formulas is over 200 years they have been adapted and often bastardized so I am going to share with you the old school methods, and the most correct formulas for the ‘Top Four Old Whiskey Classics’.  

Mint Julep

The Mint Julep, a favourite of planters in the United States, is one of the oldest known cocktails. It was invented at the end of the eighteenth century in Virginia. The recipe was published in 1803 by John Davis, a British professor just back from a journey to study the American plantations. He recounts that the inhabitants of Virginia habitually drank this refreshing beverage at any time from morning afterwards.

60 ml Woodford Reserve
5-6 Mint leaves
1 tsp sugar

Work mint, sugar and a dash of Woodford Reserve into a paste in the bottom of a julep cup(stainless steel, but just a regular tumbler will do). Hard pack with crushed ice and add 30ml Woodford Reserve. Re-pack with ice and add another 30 ml Woodford Reserve. Dust top of glass with loose crushed ice and garnish with a mint sprig. Slide straw to the bottom of the cup and sip from the base of vessel. (The first record of the use of straws was in this drink)

Sazerac Cocktail

In 1859, John Schiller officially christened the Sazerac Cocktail in his newly opened bar, the Sazerac Coffee house, in New Orleans. When John H. Handy took over the bar, he altered the famous drink and used whisky instead of cognac.

2 dashes Fee Brothers Old Fashioned Bitters
1 dash simple syrup
60 ml Gentleman Jack
Absinthe

Chill one rocks glass. Coat mixing glass with absinthe and discard excess. Add remaining ingredients to coated mixing glass and stir well with ice cubes. Strain into chilled rocks glass and garnish with a lemon peel. Serve with a small glass of chilled mineral water on the side.

Old Fashioned (Old Formula) Taken from Trader Vics Bartenders Guide

Created at the Pendenis Club, Louisville, Kentucky(1900-1907) The recipes creation is claimed to be from a Club member, Colonel James E Pepper, owner of the brand of Bourbon ‘Old 1776’. “There are more recipes for this classic than waves in the Ocean”

1 sugar cube
1 dash Fee Original Bitters
15 ml Still mineral Water
60 ml Gentleman Jack

Drop sugar cube in base of old fashioned glass and coat with bitters. Add water and muddle. Add ice cubes then bourbon and stir well. Add a twist of orange peel and a cherry.

Manhattan

The Manhattan is the quintessential Rye Cocktail – except in Minnesota and Wisconsin where they prefer Brandy Manhattans; or down south, where Bourbon Manhattans are the rage. Created at the Manhattan Club, New York, 18 November 1874 on the occasion of a dinner organized by Winston Churchill’s mother (Jenny) to celebrate the election of her fathers friend Samuel Jones Tilden as Governor of the City. It is doubtful, however, that Jenny Churchill was actually present at the banquet since she gave birth to the future statesman in England on 30 November that same year. Two years later Tilden: like Vice President Al Gore, was defeated in his 1876 bid for The Presidency even though he won the popular vote. 

45 ml Jack Daniels Single Barrel
15 ml Martini Rosso
2-3 drops of original bitters
1 maraschino cherry

Add whiskey, vermouth and bitters to mixing glass with ice and stir well. Strain into a chilled martini glass and add a maraschino cherry. Serve immediately.