GEOFF clearly has his professional reasons for keeping simple syrup to hand in the fridge.
I just keep it so that I can always make an Old Fashioned at a moment's notice.
A good Old Fashioned should be a very simple cocktail to make, although you have to stick to the recipe. Don't leave out the bitters, and please don't top it up with soda or anything else.
You'll need two measures of your whisky (or whiskey) of choice, a teaspoon of simple syrup, a large dash of Angostura bitters and a lemon twist to garnish. If you're using a bourbon, drop the lemon twist and instead get some orange zest into the glass before adding the whiskey. At no point should you be muddling fruit as you don't want a pulpy mess in the bottom of your glass. Some people add a cherry. I don't.
This classic drink fell out of favour with the cocktail crowd in the 1980s, who instead started ordering a fruitier Daiquiri or a Cosmopolitan. It is enjoying a revival at the moment helped by TV characters such as Don Draper of Mad Men and giants of the silver screen such as Ryan Gosling (Crazy, Stupid Love). If it's good enough for Ryan, it's good enough for me.
Many whiskies will work in an Old Fashioned; the key is the soft approachability of the spirit. My current "session dram" is the Nikka Pure Malt Red Label (Inverarity One to One, £35.99 for 50cl). This is a blended malt from Japan, using top quality malts from the Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries. Due to its soft, gentle style, it works equally well straight, over ice or as a base for a number of cool cocktails. And it makes a perfect Old Fashioned.
Pete Stewart is Glasgow director of Inverarity One to One, 185a Bath Street, Glasgow www.inverarity121.com
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