B's Old Fashioned Recipe

Muddle cherry and syrup

Place the Luxardo cherry (reserve one cherry for garnish if you prefer) in the bottom of an old fashioned glass. Add 0.25 oz simple syrup. Using a muddler, gently press the cherry to release its juices and dissolve the syrup into a small concentrated slurry. Avoid pulverizing the cherry into a paste; you're extracting juice and flavor.

Add bitters and bourbon

Add 2 dashes of Regan's orange bitters into the glass with the muddled cherry and syrup. Pour in 2 oz premium bourbon over the muddled mixture.

Stir and chill

Add one large ice cube or sphere to the glass. Using a bar spoon, stir gently but thoroughly for about 20–30 seconds (10–15 revolutions) to chill, dilute slightly, and integrate flavors. The goal is a slight dilution and uniform temperature.

Express orange oil and garnish

Take an orange peel and hold it with the outer (zest) side facing down over the glass. Firmly give the peel a quick squeeze to express the oils over the drink, then run the peel's rim around the glass edge and drop it in (or lay it on top). Add the reserved Luxardo cherry as a garnish.

Serve

Serve immediately on the rocks. Sip slowly to enjoy the balance of bourbon, citrus bitters, and Luxardo cherry sweetness.

If using Demerara syrup instead of simple syrup, warm gently to dissolve sugar fully before measuring. Use the same 0.25 oz measure. If you prefer a drier Old Fashioned, reduce syrup to 0.125 oz (a barspoon).