Nostalgia is Best Served Cold (and Strong)
By: Alternative Strategies
There Will Be Blood (well, blood oranges that is) at Pacific Beach’s The Duck Dive this summer. Channeling Don Draper’s favorite, the “Old-Fashioned,” this Mad Men-esque cocktail combines Old Forrester Bourbon, fresh blood orange, bitters, maraschino cherry, brown sugar and ginger ale. At 142 years young, Old Forrester is America’s oldest brand of bourbon. During Prohibition, it was one of only 10 brands sold under the guise that it was “for medicinal use only.”
Saddle up and mosey on over to North Park’s True North Tavern for the Strawberry Bourbon Mule. This southern cousin to the “Moscow Mule” takes advantage of peak strawberry season, combining Benchmark Bourbon, strawberry puree, lemon juice and topping it off with the essential dose of ginger beer. Traditionalists should try True North’s Ginger Manhattan, made with Templeton Rye, Antica Formula Vermouth, ginger syrup and a dash of cherry bitters.
Whiskey cocktails deserve their own section of the craft cocktail menu at Union Kitchen and Tap. Our favorite is the Union Smoked Peach Old Fashioned. This whet your whistle whiskey is Dickel Reserve combined with vanilla bean syrup, angostura biters and smoked peaches.
The cooler, younger brother to the “Hot Toddy,” the Cold Toddy debuts at Uptown Tavern Hillcrest. Apricot and peach tea infused-Old Forester Bourbon mingles with agave nectar and fresh lemon juice to create a warm-weather version of this traditional winter beverage. The Air Conditioned LoungeSettle into the vintage atmosphere of the The Air Conditioned Lounge, where two retro cocktails merged into one. The Mint Julep, the official drink of the Kentucky Derby since 1938, and the Presbyterian, AKA “the press,” come together in one glass to create the refreshing Mint Julep Press. This ultra refreshing hybrid combines Jim Beam Kentucky Bourbon and lightly muddled fresh mint with equal parts 7-Up and soda water.
Settle into the vintage atmosphere of the The Air Conditioned Lounge, where two retro cocktails merged into one. The Mint Julep, the official drink of the Kentucky Derby since 1938, and the Presbyterian, AKA “the press,” come together in one glass to create the refreshing Mint Julep Press. This ultra refreshing hybrid combines Jim Beam Kentucky Bourbon and lightly muddled fresh mint with equal parts 7-Up and soda water.