Today, December 5, 2013, is the 80th anniversary of the end of Prohibition, and the best way to celebrate is to drink up! There is no better way to pay homage to our freedom to imbibe than to drink whiskey, no longer bootlegged thanks to National Repeal Day.

So go ahead and stir up some Sazeracs or Manhattans, but tonight, our drink of choice is the classic Old Fashioned cocktail made with a spicy George Dickel Rye Whiskey. The Old Fashioned is thought to be derived from an early 1800’s Bittered Sling made with “spirits, bitters, water, and sugar.” It went through several iterations, and somewhere in the 1860’s it became known as an old fashioned drink close to how we know it today: sugar, citrus and a cherry muddled with bitters, then mixed in with bourbon or whiskey.

We’re providing an Old Fashioned recipe supplied by the Dickel brand, along with our variation that replaces the sugar cube with ginger simple syrup to add a winter spiciness, and also replaces the orange with our latest favorite citrus, a sweet Japanese grapefruit. The GG in our Old Fashioned can refer to the Golden Gate, but in this case it stands for Ginger and Grapefruit.

George Dickel Rye Old Fashioned
1.3 oz. George Dickel Rye
0.25 oz. bitters
1 sugar cube
1 splash water
1 slice orange
1 lemon twist
1 maraschino cherry

In an old-fashioned or rocks glass, muddle sugar, bitters and water. Add ice cubes and George Dickel Rye. Garnish with lemon twist, orange slice and cherry.

Dickel GG Old-Fashioned
1.75 oz. George Dickel Rye
0.25 oz ginger simple syrup (recipe below)
3 dashes Regan’s Orange bitters
1 long peel and 1 slice of sweet grapefruit or pomelo
1 lemon twist
1 brandied cherry

Gently muddle the syrup, bitters and grapefruit peel in a mixing glass to release the citrus oils. Add the whiskey and ice, then stir. Strain into an old fashioned glass with ice. Garnish with a grapefruit slice, lemon twist and brandied cherry.

Ginger Simple Syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 inch peeled ginger root, sliced into coins or slivered

Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Lower heat and stir constantly until sugar is dissolved (2-3 minutes). Remove from the heat, add ginger, let it steep and cool completely (about 20-30 minutes). The strained syrup can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a month. Dispose of the ginger slices or use as garnish if desired (we personally like to eat the candied ginger pieces).

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