When musing on spirit-forward cocktails, some familiar favorites come to mind the Martini, Manhattan, Negroni, and Old Fashioned. Made with mostly booze, these drinks are typically centered around a robust base spirit with only vermouth, bitters, syrups, or liqueurs as the other ingredients. These boozy bevs are certainly on the stronger side, but perhaps that’s why they’re so popular at this time of year. Sipping a stiff drink is a delightful way to keep warm when spring temps can't come soon enough.
Now, the Old Fashioned is a well-loved cocktail often riffed on for a reason. It can be made several different ways (muddled, stirred, with whiskey, brandy, rum, plus infinite syrup options), but at its heart, it’s a delicious combination of base spirit, sugar, and bitters.
Now, the Old Fashioned is a well-loved cocktail often riffed on for a reason. It can be made several different ways (muddled, stirred, with whiskey, brandy, rum, plus infinite syrup options), but at its heart, it’s a delicious combination of base spirit, sugar, and bitters. You can’t go wrong with a classic New Deal Old Fashioned, but if you’d like to explore different iterations, read on.
How does a tropical Old Fashioned sound? For the Pineapple Express, we’ve split the base, combining both Pear Brandy and our barrel-rested Old Tom Gin. We’ve also ditched the simple syrup and replaced it with our house-made Tropical Pineapple Syrup, which brings vanilla, orange peel, and cinnamon to your glass.
Are you up for a PNW Old Fashioned? This fresh and aromatic take melds the aroma of PNW Bartlett pears, vanilla, and just a touch of oak. Or, maybe a Strawberry Old Fashioned is more your style? Here, we’ve opted for Distiller’s Workshop Brandy and an easy strawberry syrup. Our Distiller's Workshop Brandy is pot-distilled in-house from Oregon red wines before being aged for 5-7 years in new French and American Oak barrels, Short on time? Pick up one of our house-made syrups and mix a Have You Ever. Here our Oregon Brandy meets the vanilla, citrus, and aromatic spices found in our Cola Syrup.
Perhaps you’d like a super smooth Spiced Rum Old Fashioned? Our small-batch Spiced Rum and Daddy’s Cinnamon Demerra Syrup blend together beautifully. Or maybe you’d like to channel some Midwestern memories and break out your muddler for a Hello Wisconsin? This one is made with our Distiller’s Workshop Apple Brandy and has plenty of muddled cherry and orange flavor. But if a crisp, cold alpine vibe is what you’re looking for, the Cold Fashioned is for you. Inspired by the flora found in the Cascade Mountains, our herbal Cascadia Liqueur brings just the right amount of bittersweetness to this aptly named cold-weather Old Fashioned.
Maybe you’d like to consider some not-too-sweet chocolate options featuring our Mud Puddle Bitter Chocolate Vodka. Rich and decadent bitter chocolate vodka infused with organic, fair-trade cacao nibs custom-roasted in small batches, Mud Puddle Bitter Chocolate Vodka is a deeply flavored, unsweetened spirit with the irresistible essence of dark chocolate. This cacao spirit is unsweetened, making it unlike any chocolate vodka you may have had before. Muddled blood orange and our cacao-infused spirit make the Mud Puddle Old Fashioned a real treat. If you prefer a classic orange flavor, try out the delightful David Bowie. Ever wondered what Willy Wonka would drink after a hard day’s work? Our best guess is Wonka Vision— a stirred combination of Mud Puddle and Bourbon.
The Negroni is another spirit-forward cocktail we love. It’s delightfully bitter and delicious with crisp, classic Gin 33 or savory Gin No. 1. If you have time to infuse your Campari with strawberries (just overnight), it would be time well spent. The Heart Crusher Negroni is quite divine. Or, maybe you want to take the white Negroni route?
The Negroni Blanc is still an easy three-ingredient cocktail--with a few dashes of added bitters--and a fun way to mix things up. We’ve kept Gin 33 as the base spirit for this herbal variation and swapped our Cascadia Bitter Liqueur for Campari and Cocchi Americano for sweet vermouth.
Any Manhattan fans out there? Surely you’ve tried our ready-to-pour Driftwood Manhattan? Our original bottled cocktail that started it all! The Driftwood Manhattan blends 3-year-old Straight Rye whiskey, house-made bitters, and a small-batch vermouth made in collaboration with our friends at Landmass Wines. It couldn’t be easier after a long day— just stir with ice and garnish with a cherry.
Ginger lovers might want to try incorporating our Ginger Liqueur in a super tasty Ginger Manhattan. Or, maybe this Manhattan interpretation we call How’s the Weather is more up your alley? You’ll love how the juniper & rose from the Old Tom Gin pair perfectly with the apricot & burnt orange aromas from the amaro.
And speaking of Old Tom Gin, when’s the last time you had a Martinez? With aspects of both the Manhattan and the Martini, this drink is thought to be the missing link between the two. Or, what about a Vieux Carré? This New Orleans classic combines Rye, Brandy, and sweet vermouth with a bit of Bénédictine and bitters—both Angostura and Peychaud’s Bitters. It hits the spot if you haven’t had one in a while. Or, maybe you’d like a Cascadia Carré? Here, we swap our Cascadia Liqueur in place of sweet vermouth for an ultra-PNW variation. You could also ‘laissez les bons temps rouler’ with a La Louisiane. This Sazerac-adjacent drink is the perfect mix of herbal, bitter, and sweet.
For those who can’t stop thinking about somewhere warm when the temperature drops, we’d suggest the Sleepy Tiki. This tropical tipple features our exceptionally smooth small-batch Spiced Rum and is quite a nice escape. In the mood to get amped? We didn’t leave you out—the Revolver is the cocktail for you. The mix of bourbon, bitters, and our Coffee Liqueur gives this cocktail robust coffee flavor and real buzz. As does the ever-popular Espresso Martini. Of course, we could keep going with more spirit-forward concoctions, but we’ll stop here. Stir up a few and tell us what you think! Cheers!
