Javier’s Old Fashion Recipe

Chill glass

Place an Old Fashioned (rocks) glass in the freezer for a few minutes or fill it with ice water while you prepare ingredients; discard ice water before pouring.

Combine base ingredients

In a mixing glass add 2 oz WhistlePig 6 Year Rye, 0.5 oz Javier’s Single Barrel Reserve (or substitute), 0.25 oz simple syrup, 2 dashes Angostura bitters and 1 dash orange bitters.

Stir

Add plenty of ice to the mixing glass (enough to chill and dilute) and stir briskly for 20–30 seconds (about 20–30 full rotations) until the mixture is well chilled and slightly diluted — target roughly 15–20% dilution by weight/temperature change.

Prepare glass and optional rinse

If using the optional rinse, pour 0.25 oz peat-smoked or barrel-aged rum into the chilled rocks glass, swirl to coat the inside, then discard or leave a thin film. Otherwise, add one large clear ice cube to the chilled glass.

Strain

Using a julep or Hawthorne strainer, strain the stirred cocktail over the large ice cube in the prepared rocks glass.

Express the orange peel: Hold the orange peel over the drink with the skin side down and give it a firm twist to spray essential oils onto the surface. Rub the peel along the rim of the glass to transfer oils and then drop the peel into the drink or rest it on the ice.

Add cherry: Spear or drop the Luxardo cherry into the drink as a finishing touch.

Serve: Present immediately. The cocktail should be aromatic with cinnamon/wood notes from the Single Barrel Reserve, bright citrus oils, and a warming rye backbone.