Smoked Maple Old Fashioned

Not actually the oldest drink in the lexicon, the Old Fashioned hearkens back to days where bitters were in regular use and whiskey was the king spirit in America. It's been about eighty years since then and you will find Old Fashioned cocktails being ordered non stop at the top bars in D.C. This is one you will be lucky to experience either at home or at a bar with an extensive whiskey list.

I decided that Knob Creek's smoked maple bourbon would make an awesome addition to the traditional (not fruit laden) Old Fashioned. The whiskey is sweet enough itself not to require a cherry or whole orange slice, but it is also strong enough to make this double sized drink fit for a king.

• 2 oz. blended whiskey
• 1 1/2 oz. Knob Creek smoked maple bourbon
• 1 brown sugar cube
• several dashes angostura bitters
• lemon peel
• splash of water

Build drink in a double Old Fashioned glass with sugar cube and a splash of water. Muddle mixture until the sugar is dissolved in the water. Add whiskeys and ice and stir until chilled. Squeeze lemon peel over the drink and drop in.

Habitant Cocktail

I've been wanting to try this drink ever since I got a bottle of Knob Creek smoked maple bourbon. Products like this didn't exist when the drink was invented, so maple syrup as a sweetener distinguished this one from a Whiskey Sour made with sugar. I thought that the intense smoky maple of Knob Creek would help it along, though.

I was right. An extra ounce of bourbon also helps the balance between the ounce of lemon juice and just two ounces of whiskey. Two to one proportions of whiskey seemed too small to keep the drink from tasting tart. So of you want to try the original recipe just use the two ounces of whiskey and keep everything else the same, including garnishes.

Canadian whiskey is required, though; as this is a Canadian cocktail. For some reason the maple syrup and whiskey are supposed to represent being a inhabitant of Canada.

• 2 oz. Canadian whiskey
• 1 oz. Knob Creek smoked maple bourbon (recommended)
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. maple syrup
• cherry
• orange slice

Combine whiskey, maple syrup and lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with cherry and orange slice.