Old-fashioned (peg) Recipe

1. Toast coconut

Preheat a dry skillet over medium heat. Add the shredded coconut and toast, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant, about 3–5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

2. Combine bourbon and coconut

Place 8 oz Woodford Reserve in a clean mason jar. Add the cooled toasted shredded coconut (2 oz). Seal the jar and gently invert to mix.

3. Infuse and separate

Let the bourbon sit with the coconut at room temperature for 2 hours to impart flavor, then place the jar in the freezer for at least 4 hours (overnight is fine). Freezing helps fats solidify and separate. After chilling, open the jar and pour the bourbon through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth into a clean container. Discard the solids. If desired, filter again through coffee filter for extra clarity. Yield: about 7.25–7.5 oz coconut-washed bourbon.

4. Place a large ice cube into a chilled rocks glass.

5. In a mixing glass filled with ice, combine 2 oz coconut-washed Woodford Reserve, 0.5 oz Pedro Ximénez sherry, and 0.25 oz Medjool-date liqueur. If you prefer slightly sweeter, add 0.125 oz (1/8 oz) simple syrup — optional.

6. Add 2 dashes of Angostura bitters to the mixing glass.

7. Stir the mixture briskly with a bar spoon for 20–30 seconds until well chilled and properly diluted (approx. 20–30 full turns). This chills and integrates the PX and date liqueur with the bourbon.

8. Strain the stirred cocktail over the large ice cube in the rocks glass.

9. Express the oils of an orange peel over the drink by holding the peel skin-side down above the glass and quickly bending it to release oils, then rub the peel rim and drop it into the glass as garnish.

10. Serve immediately. Sip and enjoy — the drink should be light-bodied from the coconut-wash but still strong and smooth, with raisiny sweetness from PX and a mellow date character.

11. Coconut-washed bourbon will keep sealed in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, though flavor is best within the first week. To scale cocktails, multiply the per-serving ingredient amounts and stir in a larger mixing vessel with plenty of ice, maintaining similar dilution time.

12. If you cannot find Medjool-date liqueur, make a quick substitute: gently warm 1 oz date syrup with 1 oz neutral spirit (vodka) to make a 50/50 date liqueur; use equivalent volume as listed.