Barrel Aged QT Old Fashioned

words by chelsea dulieu

The Old Fashioned has come back in full gusto in recent years after being heavily popularised as Don Draper’s cocktail of choice in the popular series Mad Men. Men everywhere rejoiced when they suddenly had a macho but sexy looking cocktail they could order on their nights out.

So the QT cocktail gurus did what they do best, put their own spin on this dapper delight and the Barrel Aged QT Old Fashioned was born. So how does this get from the pages of our menu and on to your taste buds? Well, I’m glad you asked.

When you step up to the bar to place your order look up and you will see the famous QT barrels way above the smiling bartenders’ heads. Not just there for their looks, those barrels are creating some magic inside their wooden walls. Inside is a mixture of Woodford Reserve bourbon, sugar, a mixture of bitters and some other secret herbs and spices – as mum always said: “leave something to the imagination”.

That’s what she meant right? 

After about a month, when the liquid is aged into smoky, wooden goodness, the contents are emptied into shiny crystal decanters, ready for the drinking.

The next part is a piece of cake!

Step 1: The perfectly aged mixture is poured over ice.

Step 2: The liquid is stirred with the ice for a few seconds until slightly diluted – practice makes perfect (about 5 Mississippi’s should do the trick).

Step 3: The cocktail is poured into a crystal cut glass (because that’s just fancier than a regular one) over two large ice cubes. “Why large ice cubes?” a lot of people ask me. Larger cubes allow your drink to be cooled but melt at a much slower rate so you can sip your drink without it becoming watery (again – pick up your game Science class).

Step 4: Garnish is key in this cocktail and showing off is in every bartender’s blood. Cue flamed orange peel. In this case, the showing off does have a purpose. By heating and squeezing the peel it releases the citrus oils into your drink to give it that extra tang. Plus it looks pretty.

Now I’d tell you that Step 5 is ‘enjoy’ but I feel that one is obvious. Order up!