Intriguing and full of gravitas, the Old Fashioned is one of the cornerstone cocktails of modern mixology. It is gratifying and unapologetic, a symbol of timelessness, as it embraces the bare-knuckle charms of the bygone years with the casual comfort of modernity. It is neither arrogant nor pretentious…the Old Fashioned is that loyal friend whose humility emanates devotion. If you’re a whiskey drinker, and even if you refuse to confess, you know that the Old Fashioned is the secret love of your life.
An Old Fashioned is made with only four ingredients, and this is not open to negotiation. Traditionally, at least the way it has been prepared since 1806, it entails whiskey, sugar cube, a splash of water, and Angostura bitters. To add an aromatic flair to the drink, an orange peel is used as a garnish, though a preference for a Maraschino cherry, born during the Prohibition era, is also acceptable. What comes out, to borrow from the connoisseurs of the past, “is a stimulating liquor,” composed of whiskey of “any kind, sugar, water, and bitters,” an “excellent electioneering potion inasmuch as it renders the heart stout and bold, at the same time it fuddles the head.” And how did this cocktail get its name? Well, people would ask for their drink to be made “in the old fashioned way.”
The evolution of the whiskey culture in Armenia has led to a renaissance of the Old Fashioned as a staple of its cocktail scene. Strong, yet inviting, it performs a certain luscious dance on the palate, teasing with an undeniable ambrosial attribute that enraptures the appetite. The Old Fashioned is not a sensual drink, but it is inarguably seductive… it is a dissident cocktail that has stubbornly defied time. It will compete against the most complex of cocktails as well as the most simple of cocktails. If the Armenian spirit was a cocktail, it would be the Old Fashioned.
Navigating the bar and lounge culture in Yerevan is a euphoric journey into the libation world that is the beating heart of this city. Finding the best Old Fashioned in the maze that is the mixology scene in Armenia is no easy task, for the Old Fashioned is the one cocktail that can underperform in the most glitzy of bars yet overperform in the most grimy of bars. To cure this dilemma, I visited three bars, one that embraced the eccentric, one that embodied the eclectic, and one that radiated the elegant: Varpet, Simona, and The Bird Cage.
Hidden in the courtyard of residential buildings hugging Tumanyan Street, Varpet is a unique bar that masquerades as a mecca of hipster migration, where the former studio of an artist has been turned into an eccentric playground for craft cocktails and urban bohemianism. The latent rebellionism of its clientele cradles the authenticity of Varpet, as its casual chic aura confronts the sophistication of its alcoholic concoctions. And in its spirit of eccentricity, Varpet’s rendition of the Old Fashioned was deliciously unconventional.
Varpet chooses to use granulated brown sugar over sugar cubes, thus bypassing the processes of lightly dousing the sugar cube with water and then muddling it. While the cocktail is being stirred in the cylinder glass, the serving glass is iced, an unusual yet not a troubling technique: the Old Fashioned glass is not supposed to be cold. The whiskey of choice is top-shelf bourbon. It must and will always be bourbon (the Brits can keep their opinions to themselves). Two dashes (instead of the traditional three) of Angostura bitters are added to the sugar, followed by ice, and then the bourbon. As the cocktail is being stirred the bartender reaches for what should be an orange, since the orange peel must be fresh to fulfill its duty as garnish. Yet the bartender does not use orange, but rather grapefruit peel…color me confused, yet intrigued. The result is a distinct and respectable Old Fashioned, with a taste that is subtle yet exceptionally well-balanced. The whisky pour was slightly on the strong side, and that is not a complaint, as this added delightful sturdiness to the drink. The grapefruit was, indeed, intriguing, and while it slightly diminished the aromatic strength that an orange would have provided, the latent bitterness of the grapefruit definitely spoke to the wisdom of this technique. The taste of the brown sugar, however, had become quiescent, while the bitters, unfortunately, underperformed. In its totality, the Old Fashioned at Varpet is defiant, gutsy, and though it had its minor shortcomings, it is a dignified execution of a well-crafted cocktail. In our scale of 1 to 5, the Old Fashioned at Varpet stands at 4.
Nested on the second floor, The Bird Cage is an elevated bar and lounge that breathes the cosmopolitanism of Manhattan high-society, as its brown leitmotif and copper bartop adds sophistication on top of sophistication. The Bird Cage, indeed, has one of the most elegant bars in Yerevan, as its swanky charm harbors the glamorous. The Old Fashioned at The Bird Cage is an experience, as the ritual of mixology enhances the overall experience, with clinical attention to detail, and an intricate deference to the high-art of cocktail concoction.
The Bird Cage, like Varpet, prefers granulated brown sugar, but the level of granulation is rather moderate, which allows the bartender to muddle the brown sugar after splashing it with fizz water, a titillating act in elegance. Ice is then added to the glass, followed by thoroughly stirring the fizz water and brown sugar for 10 seconds. Surprisingly, The Bird Cage does not execute its Old Fashioned in the traditional cylindrical mixing glass, but rather, it develops and mixes the cocktail directly in the drinking glass. Three dabs of Angostura bitters are added to the drink, followed by a pour of top-shelf bourbon. The drink is mixed once more, to fully blend the ingredients together, while raising concerns of the melting ice harming the cocktail’s formulaic makeup. An entire slice of orange is added to the drink, followed by an addition of a Maraschino cherry, an exercise in precision. Collectively, the Old Fashioned at The Bird Cage is elegant and aggressive, a delicate contradiction that mesmerizes the palate and pleases the senses. Although the bitters slightly struggled to establish a presence, the drink, with this one exception, was exceptional. The brown sugar base enhanced the discerning aroma of the brawny bourbon, as the orange garnish added a strong and lovely touch, while an amorous smokiness seduced the tongue, begging for another sip. In our scale of 1 to 5, the Old Fashioned at The Bird cage stands at 4.75.
Located in the hustle and bustle of Arami street, Simona is an underground bar and lounge that is the poster child for Yerevan eclecticism. Dark but cozy, it is visually calming, yet conceptually pulsating. Simona is where velour comfort meets neon vibrancy…it has the ethos of an after-hours lounge, with a certain neo-noir naughtiness. It did not cross, and could not have crossed, the mind of this seasoned denizen, who, having frequented some of the world’s finest bars, that perhaps the best Old Fashioned he has ever had in his life would be at Simona. The Old Fashioned at Simona is unflinchingly brilliant, rich, and bold. If one ever wants to feel or understand what drinking velvet feels and tastes like, the Old Fashioned at Simona is the closest one will come.
An exercise in meticulousness, the Old Fashioned here is made with a small sugar cube, a swift dash of simple syrup, a light touch of water, three healthy dashes of bitters, and methodical mixing of these ingredients. Ice is then added to the large cylinder glass, followed by more stirring. After extensively blending the ingredients, top-shelf bourbon is added, followed by a quick and robust stir, after which the cocktail is poured over a giant ice cube sitting in a retro-fitted Bodega old-fashioned glass. A slice of orange is placed on the side of the ice cube. The result is a tour-de-force for the sense, with a depth of satin richness that very few drinks can achieve. The cocktail adorns the tongue with an elevated refinement that turns the Old Fashioned into an intricate mosaic of delectable gracefulness. The drink is strong yet clever, as the bourbon absorbs the brown sugar, yet uplifting its elusive sweetness. The bitters are front and center, a homage to this cocktail’s defiance, and its timeless refusal to conform. In our scale of 1 to 5, the Old Fashioned at Simona stands at a 5, a work of perfection.
