It’s cold. In mid May, and I don’t much care for that today. Don’t get me wrong, I prefer cool days to hot ones, but I’m just tired of this weird weather and these weird times. I want to hang out with my friends and laugh too loud and too long, but that’s not where we are today, so I’m gonna suck it up, put on my cardigan, crank up The Cardigans and make a drink. This one is a request that didn’t come with a name, so we’re gonna call it the Cardigan. 

I got a message from my dear friend, Alicia, over the weekend, with a recipe for a coffee old-fashioned that she thought sounded loverly and I thought wouldn’t it be. I love Alicia and have shared a few drinks with her, in fact, we first met at a bar, the incredible speakeasy hidden in a bookstore, Denver’s Williams & Graham. Jenn introduced us, I had roasted bone marrow and a smoky campfire scotch cocktail with a charred marshamallow atop, but that’s a different story for a different day. I figured with the cold weather, this recipe might be just the thing, if nothing else I could warm myself with memories of last year with Alicia and friends deep in the heart (insert claps) of Texas, where she educated us on all things Fort Worth while we sweated and wondered just why Jenn… but I digress again. Anyway, my pal sent this sort of complete recipe and I decided to try it mostly as sent, though this really should be stirred, not shaken, but whatever.

Grab your super sexy shaking tins and add 1 ounce of coffee liqueur, I went with Songbird, cause it’s from Indiana, a state where once every ten times or so when I pass through, Alicia and Matt will meet me for burgers. Toss in an ounce of bourbon, I went with Michter’s American whiskey which isn’t really bourbon, but is close enough. Same mashbill but wrong barrels to be “according to Hoyle” bourbon. To that add 1/4 ounce or so of maple syrup, I used one of those tiny bottles you can swipe from the table at the crack house, 4-5 stabs of El Guapo Pecan Chicory Bitters and a big splash of heavy cream. Seal it up and shake hard to chill and dilute, while trying to not think about how there is no citrus in this drink and how it should be stirred in a pitcher if it wants to pretend to be an old-fashioned. Grab a rocks glass and double strain over one large cube. Garnish with some fresh mint, cause I couldn’t think of anything else that was remotely appropriate. Lift the glass, think it’s a bit sweet and could benefit from another half ounce of bourbon, but in the whole not that bad. Probably better than if you had served it in a mason jar, unstrained, like the recipe said. So, it’s a good drink and made me feel a bit warmer sitting on the sofa in my cardigan, listening to The Cardigans, drinking my Cardigan. Stay safe, stay hydrated and stay sane, my friends.