The Old Fashioned, as seen on Mad Men

Sunday's episode of Mad Men had a scene in which the main character, Don Draper, makes an Old Fashioned. The recipe I have to make an Old Fashioned uses water, sugar, bitters, and whiskey. You're supposed to muddle the bitters, water, and sugar in a glass until the sugar has dissolved. Then you add a large ice cube followed by whiskey. Stir and serve with a straw.

Don Draper made his Old Fashioned a little differently, but I am sure it was the way they were made in the late 50's early 60's. He tossed a sugar cube in the glass, added a dash or two (or three - the bf thought Draper added a lot of bitters). In a separate mixing glass Draper added lots of ice, followed by rye whiskey (it looked he used Old Overholt), and soda. He then did a quick muddle of the sugar and bitters in the glass. This was followed by a quick stir of the whiskey, ice, and soda* in the mixing glass. He then poured the whiskey mix into the glass.

One thing that caught my eye was the muddling. I doubt the sugar was dissolved when he finished. I'm not sure if his quick muddle followed the method use in the 60's, or if it was a case of TV expediency. It wouldn't be good TV to have him muddling for several minutes, waiting for the sugar to dissolve. Or, perhaps the sugar was dissolved because it sat in bitters while he was pouring the whiskey and soda in the mixing glass. Or maybe Draper was just impatient to get his drink... Or maybe I am just an inefficient muddler ;)

I've made Old Fashioneds at home using the first method, and they taste great. They have a nice smooth, rich taste with just enough sweetness to make me happy. I'm not a fan of soda, but now I'm tempted buy a small bottle and try an old fashioned Don Draper's way.

*I suppose it could have been tonic, but I have a feeling it's soda. I vaguely remember an Old Fashioned recipe that used soda water.

Bertolli Bags

Recently I've been introduced to Bertolli Bags. These are frozen pasta meals that come packaged in, you guessed, bags. Most of them are designed to be cooked either in a microwave or a skillet. Like Lean Cuisine frozen dinners, most of the ingredients are normal, real food. The taste is pretty good, and better than most processed foods. Also, even if you prepare them on the stovetop the cooking time is amazingly quick - around 8-15 minutes.

This week I bought a Bertolli Bag for the oven. It was stuffed shells with shrimp. I haven't tried it yet, but I am looking forward to it. As you might guess, because it's meant to be baked the cooking time is a bit longer, perhaps 20 minutes.

The meals are meant to serve two, and they work well for me and my boyfriend. However, neither of us are big eaters, and the portions are just right for us. If you like to eat a lot, you may wish to have a side dish.

Silent Order

2 oz green Chartreuse

1 oz lime juice

0.5 oz water

basil leaves

A few weeks ago a few of us tried the Silent Order, a cocktail made with green Chartreuse and basil leaves. It was an interesting departure from the usual cocktails. Instead of the standard sweet/sour balance with a spirit (lime/lemon juice + sugar/liqueur + spirit) , the Silent Order offered us a peppery, herbal flavor. I didn't notice the peppery taste until the end. Perhaps the basil oil sinks to the bottom?

I used fresh basil leaves, two per drink. Over each glass I tore one leaf, and then rubbed the rim with one of the torn pieces before dropping them into the glass. Next, I pored the cocktail into the glass, and then I tore the second leaf over the drink before adding it. Another way to use the basil leaves would be to finely chop some and shake with the drink, then garnish using whole basil leaves.

And so it begins...

The Boston Globe is going to start charging to read its content on boston.com.

I suspect this is the beginning of newspapers charging readers to web access. Otherwise, they're going to fold. It'll be interesting what the Globe charges. I'd be willing to pay a small amount.

I also read a suggestion a while back that newspapers should use an iTunes model - a small fee/article. I think that could work financially. After all, I don't read the entire boston.com site, and if I subscribed to the paper edition I certainly wouldn't be reading the entire paper - which is why I don't subscribe to the paper edition. Maybe if I was retired... But, from a public good standpoint, a fee/article model would increase the trend of printing news that people are interested in as opposed to news that's important - I could see entertainment drivel on celebrity gossip getting more emphasis than real news.

Another thought I had was a cable TV model. With Kindle becoming more popular, readers could subscribe to an internet news delivery service that might provide them with access to different papers, e.g., NY Times, WSJ, Boston Globe, etc. And, to be even more hopeful, the service could be more a la carte than the cable TV. I could get my local papers - The Globe, The Herald, The Boston Phoenix, and any other local newspaper (e.g., The Brookline Tab) as the basic service - and choose X number of extra publications.

Heroes @ TT's in August

If you haven't heard about it, Heroes is an 80's alternative music night at TT the Bear's in Central Square. I've been before and it's a fun night - laid back and great music. TT's isn't fancy by any means - it's looking a little worn in places, but in a good way. It reminds me of some of the places I went to in college, which sadly wasn't near any place as remotely cool as Central Square.

This month Heroes will be on the 8th, 15th, and 22nd.


So, if you're into 80's new wave, punk, goth, and techno, you might want to check it out!