Hello readers (all 5 of you), sorry to have let this snoopbloggyblog fall by the wayside. I didn’t mean to - you see, I went on a whiskey sabbatical. That didn’t last very long, but I just plain forgot (stoner alert) about the joys of Old Fashioneds so I started to cheat on our dear OF on dirty martinis & such. But I’m back! And I owe it all to Mr. Lew’s Win Win Bar & Grand Sazerac Emporium.

Mr. Lew’s does not false advertise - it is truly a win-win bar (even though it’s in a lose-lose neighborhood) & their OFs are L.A.F.

Legit as fuck, my friends!

So legit that it was too legit to quit. As in one night I had FIVE & pretty much blacked the fuck out. I am pretty sure they use Bulleit & they don’t water it down with soda or mess it up with a fruit salad. Just pure, unadulterated goodness.

I’ve gone back more than a couple of times & the bartenders here are consistent & friendly (except if you order a Long Island Iced Tea, they will say NO without hesitation - no it was not me). And they have movie nights! But best of all - their OFs are hella delicioso and only $8 (a steal in my book!)

So go get some already.

pic taken by Chris, fellow OF aficionado

It’s a damn shame you can’t get this unless you are invited to The Masons on Judah. Super private spot. Jas makes a mean Old Fashioned (with Bulleit) which pretty much rivals The Alembic’s. That’s saying a lot, I know! But I just don’t understand why PROFESSIONAL BARTENDERS can’t get this shit right. It’s not that hard to make.

@ The Alembic

Description from their menu: nothing more than a slug of good whiskey on the rocks, with a couple of dashes of bitters, a little sugar, and a twist of lemon peel to take the edge off. Sometimes the simplest things work best. We make ours without the “garbage” - the fruit salad with which the noble old warhorse is so often weighed down.

Amen, Alembic. Hollerluiah. Don’t know what the house whiskey was but it went down smooth. No soda water, just whiskey goodness. And do you see those large ice cubes? Totally necessary. I normally don’t drink two OFs in a row, and I really shouldn’t have since I was on a date and I didn’t want to get faded and do something stupid, but it was really yummy so I couldn’t help myself. Luckily I don’t think I made an ass out of myself at Alembic. That happened later in the evening when we went to another bar and I ordered a Mai Tai. Things got hazy after that one.

@ House of Prime Rib

Not much to say about this one except IT WAS DELICIOUS.

OF @ Dalva

This was pretty bueno. Buffalo Trace bourbon. No fruit salad in the bottom of my drink. Friendly bartender who knew his shit. Howevs, if he omitted the soda water (or added just a splash) it would have been HELLA BUENO.

OF @ Fidd’s, Millbrae

This was probably the worst OF I’ve had ever, which is sad because I love this place and the bartender is a sweetie pie and the food is amazing. But, imagine my horror as I saw the bartender reach for LEA AND PERRINS WORCESTERSHIRERRERSSHESHER SAUCE instead of BITTERS and shaked it into my drank like it was no thangalang. I don’t know if it was intentional, or maybe she was drunk, or maybe it was her try at a New Old Fashioned but it was horrible. I’m not mad at Worcestershsirshshheireiirreeeeer sauce but I only like it in my Bloody Marys, thank you very much.

But check it out: I drank a lot of it. In fact, I finished it. I am a dirty dirty girl.

Want to know how to make an Old Fashioned? HERE YOU GO.

*ahem RN74*

Yes, I know RN74 specializes in wine but seriously… you’re using Bulleit, DON’T ADD ANY SODA WATER! If you’re gonna do it, add just a dash to dissolve the sugar. Anything more makes it taste like whiskey and cherry 7Up. No bueno.

One of the reasons why Bloodhound’s OF’s are so tasty: Bulleit Bourbon.

@ Whiskey Thieves

Unlike Edinburgh, I expected Whiskey Thieves to throw down a proper OF. Unfortunately, all I kept thinking was “I need to go back to Bloodhound for Dylan’s OFs noooooooooowwwwwww!” Our drinks were far too sweet & we could barely make out the Buffalo Trace (not to be confused with Buffalo Stance) bourbon. There was a whole lotta orange wedges too. And they weren’t muddled.

I ain’t mad at you, Whiskey Thieves. You have nice and knowledgeable bartenders and your security dudes are the best. Travis, I’m looking at you. Howev your OFs taste like a girly cocktail. [/Don Draper glare]

Old Fashioned @ Edinburgh

Now I’m not gonna lie and say I’m a total Old Fashioned connoisseur, but I think I’ve had enough in my many years of dranking to know what’s good and what’s not. I do not want a fruit salad in my Old Fashioned, but I do expect a maraschino cherry & lemon peel. I don’t know my bourbon very well either, so I won’t even delve into tasting notes and all that funny business. I just know that a great Old Fashioned has just the right amount of bitters, bourbon (or rye), simple syrup or sugar. Too much ice will ruin a drink, and that totally applies to our dear OF.

We weren’t expecting the greatest OF at Edinburgh, so no surprise here. Early Times whisky was used, but we could not taste any sugar or bitters at all. It basically was a bigass glass of whisky + too much ice + a couple of slices of lemons (WAT!) and a maraschino cherry. No bueno.

It’s all good Edinburgh. I still love you, but I’m not IN love with you. I hope you don’t mind if I see other people.