Even at the turn of the 20th century, bartenders couldn’t resist dressing up the pared-down Old-Fashioned. In 1917, New York bartender Hugo Ensslin decided to split the whiskey base with Dubonnet, relying on a bar spoon of Curaçao to serve as the sweetener. A cornucopia of garnishes, including an orange slice, a pineapple slice and a lemon twist, likely contributed to the drink’s name: The Old-Fashioned Appetizer.
Old-Fashioned Appetizer
Hugo R. Ensslin, Recipes for Mixed Drinks, 1917
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 1 ounce bourbon or rye
- 1 ounce Dubonnet
- 1 bar spoon Curaçao
- 2 dashes absinthe
- 1 orange slice
- 1 pineapple slice
- 1 dash Peychaud's bitters
Garnish: orange slice, pineapple slice, lemon twist
Directions
- Add all ingredients, plus a large ice cube, into a rocks glass.
- Garnish with a lemon twist, orange slice and pineapple slice.
- Serve with a small bar spoon.