Cleveland Old Fashioned Recipe

Prepare glass and muddle

Place a rocks glass or Old Fashioned glass on your workspace. Add the granulated sugar to the glass. Slice the quarter orange into one or two small wedges; reserve an additional thin slice or peel for garnish. Add the whole maraschino cherry to the glass (if using Luxardo, include some of its syrup if desired). Using a muddler, gently muddle the sugar, orange pieces, and the maraschino cherry together until the sugar is mostly dissolved and the orange releases its oils and juice. Do not over-muddle to avoid extracting excessive bitterness from pith.

Add bitters and bourbon

Drop in the 2 dashes of Angostura bitters into the muddled mix. Pour 2 oz Cleveland Underground Black Cherry Bourbon over the muddled mixture. Stir the mixture briskly about 10–15 seconds with a bar spoon to properly dissolve remaining sugar and combine flavors.

Add ice and finish

Add a large ice cube or fill the glass with chilled ice cubes (about 1 cup). Top with approximately 0.5 oz club soda to lift and lightly dilute the cocktail. Stir gently 5–8 rotations to chill and integrate the soda without over-diluting.

Garnish and serve

Express the oils of the reserved orange slice or peel over the drink by holding the peel over the glass and pinching so oils spray onto the surface; then drop the peel into the glass or place the orange slice on the rim. Add a maraschino cherry as garnish (use half of the muddled cherry if preferred). Serve immediately with a short stirrer or straw.