1609 O.f. Recipe

Combine whiskey and oak

Place 8 oz (about 1 cup) Old Overholt rye and 0.5 oz toasted oak chips or a small oak spiral into a clean glass jar with a tight lid.

Seal and rest at room temperature. Taste after 24 hours, then every 12–24 hours until the whiskey reaches desired oak intensity (usually 24–72 hours). Remove chips when flavor is balanced to avoid over-oaking. Strain through a fine mesh and/or coffee filter into a clean bottle. Use 2 oz of this infused rye per cocktail.

Combine 1 cup demerara sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Stir until the sugar fully dissolves and the mixture is clear. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Transfer to a sealed bottle and refrigerate. Keeps 2–3 weeks.

Chill an old-fashioned glass (or rocks glass) by filling with ice and setting aside while you mix.

In a mixing glass, add 2 oz oak barrel infused Old Overholt rye, 0.5 oz demerara simple syrup, 3 dashes Aztec chocolate bitters, and 2 dashes Angostura bitters.

Fill the mixing glass with large clear ice and stir gently for 20–30 seconds (about 20–30 full strokes) until well chilled and slightly diluted—aim for approximately 15–20% dilution for balance.

Discard the ice from the chilled serving glass. Place a single large ice sphere or big cube into the glass.

Strain the stirred cocktail over the large ice into the prepared glass.

Garnish — Lemon Cheek

Cut a thin lemon cheek (a segment of peel plus a bit of pith and flesh) or a wide lemon peel. Express the oils over the cocktail by holding the peel skin-side down and giving it a firm snap near the drink, then rub the peel around the glass rim and drop it into the drink or rest it on the ice.

Serve immediately. Optionally, for a more aromatic finish, grate a tiny flake of high-quality dark chocolate over the top or add one additional dash of Aztec chocolate bitters to the surface.