Drink

It was the year 2002 and a young 22-year-old Christopher was excited to be out with a few of his friends for drinks. After 20 minutes of light conversation and perusing the drinks menu, I ordered a drink I never heard of before. It had a Caribbean-themed name, it sounded fun so why not. It wasn’t until I saw the waiter returning with the drinks for me and my friends I found something that looked… well… not like what I wanted. The drink wasn’t the issue but the glassware used was.

Despite having been around for almost two centuries, the Old-Fashioned is repeatedly named the world’s most popular cocktail. No mean feat when you’re battling against the cult following of the Negroni and the revival of forgotten classics like the Aviation.

“This is the violet hour, the hour of hush and wonder, when affections glow and valor is reborn.” This beautiful line is the greatest in Bernard DeVoto’s The Hour, at once capturing the romance and the sublime of this everyday routine that is anything but mundane.

It is a strange feeling to be without your beverage of choice, that drink that is somewhat part of your life, your weekend ritual or evening delight. We all have it in some way, that cup of coffee or tea you have at the same time each day, that evening Martini at Dukes in London or that version you make at home once the kids are out the way.

There are plenty of how-tos and instructions for cocktail making out there. Heck, between mediocre recipes and articles about how to shake a metal canister back and forth, what else does Punch write about? Anyway, I want to talk about the rarely discussed and scariest of all bar techniques: the knife stir.

I seem to drink more and more Scotch and soda these days. Since young adulthood, there has been a part of me (for a long time considered wisdom) that reproaches the rest for wasting Scotch by diluting it with soda. Despite that voice, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to do so quite happily – my regular pour being one part Johnnie Walker Black Label, one part soda water, and then going the extra step towards the gallows of adding a large, cracked cube of ice as well.

This story originally appeared on the Gents Cafe Newsletter. You can subscribe here. I’ve often said that wines...