In Jerry Thomas’ 1887 The Bar-Tender’s Guide (or How to Mix Drinks) he details an improvement to his originally published Whiskey Cocktail (published in 1862 and 1876). The cocktail takes a very reminiscent old fashion and tweaks it with Maraschino, more bitters, and absinthe. The results are more impressive than you might think, and create the aptly named, Improved Whiskey Cocktail.
The original recipe reads as follows:
Prepared in the same manner as the Improved Brandy Cocktail, by substituting Bourbon or rye whiskey for the brandy
The Improved Brandy Cocktail reads as follows:
Take 2 dashes Boker’s (or Angostura) Bitters.
3 dashes gum syrup.
2 dashes Maraschino.
1 dash Absinthe.
1 small piece of the yellow rind of a lemon, twisted to express the oil.
1 small wine-glass of brandy
Fill glass one-third full of shaved ice, shake well, and strain into a fancy cocktail glass, put the lemon peel in the glass and serve.
While this might be great for the 19th century, we can improve this recipe, and make it a little more readable.
Improved Whiskey Cocktail
The Improved Whiskey Cocktail is sweet, spicy, and herbal in all the right ways. The rye provides a beautiful herbal and spicy base to layer the cherry-almond spice maraschino on. The combination of bokers and angostura bitters I used really gives a boost to the cardamom and clove notes that run throughout. The citrus of the lemon perks the whole thing up. Overall, it’s a delicious and balanced rendition of an old fashioned.
Drink Notes & Recommendations
The very original version of this cocktail calls for it to be shaken, but we really know better at this point. For best results, stir. The absinthe rinse is also a very modern twist on the Improved Whiskey Cocktail, but not a necessary one. Feel free to stir the absinthe in if you’re feeling lazy. Finally, if you don’t have Boker’s bitters, use all Angostura (or vice versa).
- Rye – As the largest ingredient here, you’ll want to make a choice between sweet bourbon influences and earthy rye. The Maraschino will work well with either, but the sweetness will either compound (Rittenhouse, Elijah Craig) or balance (Wild Turkey 101).
- Maraschino Liqueur – Not to be confused with the liquid that maraschino cherries are packed in. This syrup would result in a rich and strand drink. Instead we recommend using the class Luxardo Maraschino liqueur (which comes in the straw packaging).
- Simple Syrup – A traditional 1:1 water to sugar simple is most often used here.
- Angostura Bitters – These are the classic bitters for most cocktails, and we recommend you keep a bottle on hand.
- Boker’s Bitters – There are few manufacturers of these bitters, and for a period of time, they stopped existing. The most oft recommended brand, and one we use is Dr. Adam Elmegirab’s Boker’s Bitters*. Be aware they’re slightly pricey, but you’re going to be using a small portion of these most of the time.
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