I'm Old Fashioned

“First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald

While I don’t condone Mr. Fitzgerald’s excessive alcohol consumption, having a drink or three a couple times a week doesn’t hurt the soul.  In fact, it’s quite healthy in the social sense, because few things are better than a drawn-out conversation with friends or lovers at a cocktail lounge or craft brewery.  Drinking (and eating) are modern day forms of communion, rituals that bring people together in an age where we’re becoming more and more distant from each other.

Whether alcoholic or not, a signature drink is an element of style.  For some, it’s an Arnold Palmer (R.I.P. to the golf legend), reminiscent of breezy summer evenings on the lake or links.  For others, it’s a Manhattan whenever 5 o’clock rolls around, or a glass of scotch, taken neat in a ritual of strength, resilience and reverence for the spirit.

Not only am I old fashioned, but I love Old Fashioneds.  Perhaps it’s the geezer in me, but I geek out over a good rendition much like many men of style obsess (rightfully) over negronis and gin martinis.  I love the slow, sensuous burn of whiskey, which works as the perfect foil for the orange accents that cut through its formidable presence.  It’s a drink that puts me in my element, and rarely leaves me with a hangover the next morning.  

Where better to drink an Old Fashioned than in an old school bar?  Situated beneath the Hotel Ivy, Constantine’s seductive atmosphere and taxidermied decor make it feel like a boys club that Hemingway would have frequented many years ago.  Their Old Fashioned is based off a local classic from Parlour, one of Minneapolis’ first and foremost cocktail lounges.  With a mix of Old Grand Dad 114 and Jim Beam, it packs serious punch but has a pleasing citrus and cherry aftertaste, thanks to a combination of several flavored bitters.  Sip this one slowly; one is enough, and with a swig of Fernet to wash it down, it will be enough to get you pleasantly tipsy without crossing the line.