Duke's Old Fashioned Recipe

Build and stir

Add 2 oz Maker's Mark, 0.5 oz Amaro Lucano, 0.25 oz Rancho West Malibu, 0.25 oz fresh lemon juice, and 2 dashes orange bitters into a mixing glass.

Sweetness/adjust

If you prefer a slightly sweeter Old Fashioned-style balance, add a small bar spoon (about 5 ml) of Luxardo cherry maraschino jar syrup. (This is optional; the Luxardo cherry garnish will already contribute sweetness.)

Stir and chill

Fill the mixing glass with enough ice to chill properly. Stir gently with a bar spoon for 20–30 seconds (about 15–20 full rotations) until well chilled and slightly diluted.

Prepare glass

Place a large clear ice cube or two large ice cubes in a rocks glass.

Strain and top

Strain the stirred cocktail over the large ice cube in the rocks glass. Top with approximately 2 oz (about 60 ml) chilled soda water to lift and lighten the drink. Gently stir once to integrate the soda.

Garnish

Express the oils of an organic lemon twist over the drink by holding the twist skin-side down 3–4 inches above the glass and giving it a quick squeeze to release the oils. Run the twist around the glass rim and drop it in. Add one Luxardo cherry on a pick as a garnish.

Serve

Serve immediately with a short stirring straw. The drink should present as a balanced Old Fashioned with herbal amaro complexity, a hint of coconut from the Rancho West Malibu, bright lemon, and a light soda top.