Brought to you by Woodford Reserve

This August we set out on an important mission: to hunt for Cape Town and Johannesburg’s best Old Fashioned cocktails made with Woodford Reserve bourbon. Two of Eat Out’s critics, Rupesh Kassen in Cape Town and Kate Liquorish in Joburg, joined celebrity mixologist Johan Blaauw (who won the 2016 Woodford Bourbon Trail competition) and social media influencer Sergio Ines to judge a total of 16 cocktails.

Without further ado, we can announce that the winning cocktails were crafted by AJ Snetler in Cape Town, at Twankey Bar, and Jody Rahme of Sin & Tax in Joburg.

The winning recipes

The traditional Old Fashioned is relatively simple. It starts off with a sweetener, usually sugar, before bitters and bourbon are added. It’s stirred until the sugar dissolves and is served with ice and an orange garnish. But in the hands of our winning bartenders, this simple recipe became something really special.

AJ preparing the orange-flavoured water that served as a palate cleanser for his Old Fashioned. Photo supplied.

At Twankey Bar, the 28-year-old AJ took his inspiration from old, smoky blues lounges. “It was a really fun way of challenging convention in terms of the technique used, serving the drink without ice and changing the perception of conventional glassware to create the illusion of temperature.”

The white-and-dark chocolate truffles with AJ’s Old Fashioned. Photo by Rupesh Kassen.

AJ crafted his Old Fashioned with a mix of Double Oaked Woodford Reserve and Distillers Select, as well as blackstrap molasses, maple syrup, Cape Tawny port and bitters. For a full sensory experience, he served it in a blue glass and finished off with a dehydrated orange slice and blow-torched cigar tobacco. It was paired beautifully with a white-and-dark chocolate truffle. One of the judges noted that they “liked the unique technique and the addition of port. I enjoyed the fact that it was not ice cold, which allowed the flavours to be experienced better.”

Sin & Tax’s Old Fashioned. Photo by Kate Liquorish.

Sin & Tax’s Old Fashioned was described by Eat Out critic Kate as “ballsy to say the least and an exquisite take on an old favourite.” Jody made his Old Fashioned with Woodford Reserve, Angostura bitters, sugar syrup, Fernet-Branca and dry vermouth, with an orange peel garnish. Kate also admired Jody for his passion while preparing the drink. Another judge described Jody as having “absolutely flawless technique in every aspect.”

Jody’s been with Sin & Tax since the beginning and dedicated his Old Fashioned to the bartenders and hardworking personnel in the industry. He thus refers to it as The Handshake, as in one bartender giving another a handshake as a sign of respect. He says his Old Fashioned gained its edge from the Woodford Reserve Bourbon. “That, paired up with Fernet-Branca and some dry vermouth. What you end up with is a pretty spectacular drink.”

Jody at work. Photo supplied.

Of their participation, the bartenders are gracious about their wins and say that they loved hosting the judges and being a part of this competition.

The runners-up include Marble Restaurant in Joburg and Bardough (which sadly served its last call last weekend), Orphanage, Arcade and Burger & Lobster in Cape Town.

Want to judge for yourself? Follow the bourbon trail in Cape Town using the map below:

Or take a trip down the Joburg bourbon trail: