After spending time, and money, on buying simple syrup I thought I’d try my hand at using sugar cubes and an appropriate amount of water instead. It looked pretty fancy in the YouTube videos I watched. However, I just couldn’t get the same taste…

So, I will continue to practice – but as I began experimenting with the sugar cube, muddling, and variables, I did come up with a variance that I liked and also replaced the need for simple syrup – I’ll refer to it as the “Orange & Cherry” or the “OC” variant. This came up as a matter of convenience, after having used up all the orange peel on an orange and I didn’t want the main part of the orange to go to waste (see… frugal).

I realize that the quality of ice in my mixing glass is ‘crap’ by any bartender’s standard. Still, I’m not a whiskey snob, or a bartender. I’m a guy making a drink at home. So I’m looking to effectively create the drink with a balance of fun tools, and also realistic expectations. That said, I did buy a couple of ice molds to create two sizes of solid-clear ice spheres and ice cubes.

The Simple Recipe

  • 3 oz Bourbon
  • 1 Maraschino Cherry
  • 1 Orange wedge, peeled (not a cut piece, but a peeled off wedge)
  • 1 sugar cube
  • 4 dashes angostura bitters

Prepare:

  1. In mixing glass, add and muddle the bitters, sugar cube, cherry, and orange wedge until sugar is fully dissolved.
  2. Fill mixing glass 3/4 full with ice from my (or your own) fridge’s ice dispenser
  3. Add bourbon (notice 3 oz here instead of 2, to help balance the added fruit juice)
  4. Stir for 30 seconds
  5. Pour into glass with solid ice cube of choice (cube or sphere); I use a drink strainer to keep all the pulp and muddled pieces in the mixing glass.
  6. *Optional: Add an extra cherry or orange peel to garnish

Published by Damien B

I started this blog as a challenge to myself, to get better at writing and comfortable with tech. I now use this to dust off ideas, share thoughts, and generally have fun. My day job? I'm a management consultant. I enjoy learning about technology and how to make the best use of it. So, it is fitting that I've built my career around helping others leverage technology and improve work for the people who use it. I'm a pretty safe person to share thoughts with; I try not to be judgy; I enjoy a good sense of humor and don't take offense to much. I appreciate open minds, and do my best to assume positive intent. I love to hear about ideas and thoughts that differ to my own. If nobody ever disagreed with me, I'd never have the privilege of being enlightened, nor the chance to learn and grow!