After the bourbon, ice is the most critical component in Cross’ interpretation of the Old-Fashioned. It’s where she stashes certain flavors she hopes to unlock as the drink warms—namely, toasted coconut, a key basenote in Elijah Craig. She prepares a flavored mixture that is frozen into the glass on the bias (in other words, a diagonal slab, slanted from the bottom of one corner to the top of another). As the ice melts, the cocktail becomes infused with its flavor.
Dear Elijah
Megan Cross, Genghis Cohen | Los Angeles

Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 2½ ounces Elijah Craig Small Batch
- ½ ounce Frangelico
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
Garnish: orange twist, white and purple orchids
Directions
- Combine ingredients in a mixing glass and stir.
- Pour into a double Old-Fashioned glass prepared with a frozen ice mixture (see Editor’s Note).
- Express an orange peel over the drink and discard.
- Garnish with white and purple orchids.
Editor's Note
Ice Mixture
(Makes 2)
1 ounce toasted coconut flakes (unsweetened)
1 ounce demerara syrup (2:1 ratio)
2 ounces water
2 dashes pecan bitters
3 drops saline
Combine ingredients and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Strain 2 ounces into a double Old-Fashioned glass, and freeze on a bias.