The Walnut Recipe

Make syrup

Combine 2 cups demerara sugar and 1 cup hot water in a heatproof jar or saucepan. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Cool to room temperature, then transfer to a sealed bottle. This yields a thick 2:1 syrup; refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

Chill an old-fashioned glass by filling with ice and set aside.

In a mixing glass add 2 oz Basil Hayden bourbon, 0.5 oz demerara brown sugar syrup, and 3 dashes walnut bitters.

Add large ice and stir the mixture in the mixing glass for 20–30 seconds (about 20–30 full rotations) until well chilled and slightly diluted — target roughly 20–25% dilution depending on initial temperatures.

Discard the ice from the chilled old-fashioned glass and place a single large cube or block of clear ice in the glass.

Strain the stirred cocktail over the large ice cube into the chilled glass using a Hawthorne or julep strainer.

Express the oils of one large strip of fresh orange peel over the drink: hold the peel 3–4 inches above the surface and give it a firm twist so the oils spray onto the cocktail, then run the peel around the rim and drop it into the drink or rest it on the cube.

Garnish with a single Luxardo cherry on a pick and optionally skewered and rested across the glass or dropped into the drink.

Serve immediately. Sip slowly to appreciate the walnut bitters and demerara's caramel notes against the spicy, slightly peppery Basil Hayden.