Old-Fashioned

Reading (sporadically) An Army at Dawn and found FDR at Casablanca mixing, not his godawful 2:1 Martinis, but Old-Fashioneds.

That inspired me to mix one tonight, and since I was watching the Dolphins go 0-5, I had a couple more after that, then a Manhattan or two (I am having some difficulty typing this, my friends). I cheated however, because my home drink manual suggested that simple syrup would do in place of the muddled sugar cube, and I fucking hate muddling sugar cubes -- they don't dissolve, dammit. (Ditto re: Sazeracs.) So I went first with 2 tsp per the recipe, which is too much, and decided one tsp is better. Quite easy to keep drinking those Old-Fashioneds, as you watch the Dolphins try yet again to run up the middle against the Jets defense (Sanchez is a squirrelly QB, but the Jets' defense is all too equal to the Fins' running game).

... Wondrich: "Originally -- in 1806, at least, which is good enough for us -- a 'cock tail' was a morning drink (ah, America!) made up of a little water, a little sugar, a lot of liquor, and a couple splashes of bitters. Freeze the water, make it with whiskey, and you have an Old-Fashioned."

UPDATE: Speaking of Manhattans, Sombra offers a "Manhattan Classico," using Añejo tequila instead of rye. Just don't order one from the friendly red-headed bartender who doesn't know to shake it up with ice, but rather just pours the ingredients together and gives it to you like that. Asked to recommend a drink, he said "Well, I'm a beer and wine kind of guy, not real into the mixed drinks." Which led us to wonder, then why are you standing on the other side of this bar?