The Old Fashioned cocktail is a true American drink with a history at least a couple hundred years long. Although it takes its traditional fruit garnish from its slight evolution in the prohibition era, this masculine adult beverage is much older than that. Esquire calls it a “strong, square-jawed” cocktail, which makes sense considering its simple recipe and its legacy as the drink of choice in the hands of many of America’s infamous criminal head honchos. It’s a shame that cocktails have come to be associated with fruity, girly ways to choke down some giggle-juice, when the reality is that it used to be a drink for first thing in the morning – a ‘cock tail’, as in that crowing rooster that wakes you up and announces it’s time to get to work. Considering how early men once had to roll out of bed to take care of the day’s business, we’re hardly surprised they started the day with a drink that is simple, punchy, and high in alcohol.
Put a little hair on your chest and start making your drinks like a man worthy of the title. Seen on classic shows like Mad Men, the Old Fashioned is a cocktail that may intimidate some but really isn’t that hard to make with the right equipment. From Broquet Co, a company dedicated to the pursuit of curating awesome gift sets for sophisticated men, this Old Fashioned cocktail mixing kit appropriately titled “The Gentleman and Scholar” comes with everything but the booze itself.
The first step is to set out the cocktail kit’s pair of Libbey Vibe Double Old Fashioned Glasses. In the glass, combine a sugar cube, a dash of the kit’s Hella Bitter Aromatic, and a dash of Hella Bitter Citrus. Add a few drops of water to your sugar and bitters and then muddle thoroughly with the stainless steel Outset Muddler. Next, drop in the 2.5” sphere ice cubes you’ll have made from the Tovolo Ice Sphere Molds it comes with. Pour 2 ounces rye whiskey over the ice. Peel an orange twist over the glass with the Fox Run Garnishing Tool, and you’re done and ready to start drinking like a man.
The Old Fashioned is a cocktail that has come from being a favorite of 1930s gangsters to being the drink of choice on Wallstreet – a different kind of criminal entirely, if you ask some, although equally well dressed. This is a drink that impresses in the making as much as it does in the giving and sipping. The tools that come with the kit are easily cleaned, because of course the impressive part is crafting the drink yourself, not spending an eternity cleaning up after yourself when you’re done.
When you retire to your den or your man cave with these classy men’s drinks, you’ll feel the benefit of treating yourself to the finer things in life. For an upscale guy who likes to feel in control of his destiny and drink something he made with his own two hands, “The Gentleman and Scholar” Old Fashioned Cocktail Kit is a super premium gift set for a reasonable price that allows you to up your mixology game in the comfort of your own home. It makes a great gift for men who like to drink hard liquor, but let’s be real – you deserve to have one of these things just as much as your boss or your father in law does. Get yours here.