Chet Atkins - Kentucky Derby

Today is the Kentucky Derby, so music is to get you in the mood.  There are no lyrics, just Chet Atkins at his picking best. 

I've previously posted The Queen Of The World's Mint Julep recipe and so there's no need to repeat that.  Instead, I will give you my recipe for a killer smoked Old Fashioned:

Ingredients:

• Luxardo cherries (yes, I know they're crazy expensive; they're also crazy good)
• Two slices of orange, at least 1/2" thick each
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• Blood Orange bitters
• 2 oz (or to taste) Kentucky Bourbon (I like Four Roses which is good enough to sip neat but not so expensive that you don't want to mix cocktails with it)
• Ice

The hardware:

A rocks glass (preferably of the Second Amendment type, just because):

A muddler: 

 

A cocktail smoker:

Assembly:

1. Remove the rind from one orange slice and put into rocks glass with two Luxardo cherries and the sugar.

2. Muddle the fruit until you have basically a fruit slurry.

3. Add two shakes of bitters.

4. Add the Bourbon.

5. Stir with a spoon.

6. Add ice.

7. Use smoker as directed.  This is the one that I have and how it works:

8. Put a plate over the glass and let the drink rest with the smoke in it for five minutes.  Don't skimp on the time, because the smoke flavor will infuse the drink.

9. Garnish with two Luxardo cherries and the other orange slice.

I said it was a killer drink; I didn't say it was quick to make.

A note on Luxardo cherries: these are something like $20/jar, although Total Wine has a #10 can of them for like $99 which really drops the price per cherry but gives you a lot of cherries. If you are wondering why they are so expensive, let me just say that these are nothing like the Red Dye #2 cherries that you get at the supermarket.  Nothing at all like them.  It defies description, so you will have to take my word that they're worth it.  

Or not, heck it's up to you.

Let me just say that a jar will last you the better part of a year so it would be a shame to go to all the work on this cocktail and not have good ingredients.