Lewis Old Fashioned Recipe

Prepare spiced syrup (optional but recommended)

If you want an amplified clove/allspice note, make a small batch of spiced Demerara syrup: combine 2 oz demerara sugar and 1 oz water in a small saucepan over low heat. Add 1 whole clove and 1 whole allspice berry. Warm gently, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let steep for 10–15 minutes. Strain out the spice and cool. Use 1/4 oz per cocktail. (If using pre-made syrup, skip this step.)

Add the rye whiskey, Demerara syrup (or 1/4 oz spiced syrup), angostura bitters, orange bitters, whole clove and allspice berry to a mixing glass.

Fill the mixing glass with large ice cubes and stir vigorously for 30–45 seconds until well chilled and slightly diluted (about 20–25% dilution target by eye/feel). Stirring chills and dilutes the drink while softening the spice notes.

Place a single large ice cube or sphere in a chilled old-fashioned glass. Strain the stirred cocktail over the ice into the glass using a julep or hawthorne strainer to catch the clove and allspice. If you prefer the spices left in the drink for continued infusion, you may skip the straining and drop them in.

Express the orange peel over the glass: hold the peel with the outer (zested) side facing down about 2–3 inches above the drink and give it a firm twist to release oils across the surface. Rub the peel around the rim, then drop it into the glass as garnish.

Optional finishing: if you like a brighter top note, finish with an additional small dash of orange bitters on the surface (0.5 dash) or flame the expressed peel briefly over the drink for dramatic aroma.

Serve immediately. Sip slowly to appreciate the interplay of rye spice, clove/allspice warmth, demerara sweetness and orange aromatics.