Germantown, WI – December 18, 2011
Well, another 3 hours of watching the futility known as Cleveland Browns football. The game started well enough with an opening touchdown drive that featured the bruising, no nonsense running of Petyon Hillis. I actually felt like the Browns offense may have found a groove today between Hillis and his punishing running style and the athletic Seneca Wallace at quarterback getting the ball downfield to the Brown’s receivers.
After that opening drive I decided to have a cocktail, and even though I want to feature gin over the next couple of weeks, I was inspired to have rye whiskey by watching Hillis. Rye seems to match Peyton’s straight forward style of play. Here’s what I came up with.
Peyton Hillis
- 2 oz rye whiskey
- 1/4 oz sweet vermouth
- 1/8 oz bar syrup
- 1 dash of orange bitters
- 1 lemon slice
In a rocks glass muddle the lemon slice with the bar syrup and bitters. Add 5-6 ice cubes and the vermouth and rye and stir. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.
Mmm, I do always like the combination of orange bitters and rye, and I did again in this cocktail. It is a takeoff on a traditional old fashioned, using lemon for a brighter taste than the orange in an old fashioned.
Unfortunately, as I sipped my new cocktail creation I was again treated to the sight of the Browns unable to maintain their edge and losing yet again. At least the cocktail was good!
Cheers!