Three Ingredients Belie Complexity | In The Cups

A Main Street Longmont Old Fashioned Tour

Times like these call for something stronger than kombucha. The Old Fashioned dates back to the late 19th century. Where it originated remains up for debate, with Louisville, Kentucky and New York City vying for that honor. Whatever tale you believe, there is no denying its place as a classic, and it’s hard to find a menu that doesn’t offer some version of it.

Finding a friend who loves them as much as I do provided an opportunity to do an Old Fashioned tour. Wanting quality and walkability, I knew where we were headed: Main Street Longmont. I planned our stops, grabbed my notebook, and set forth to learn more about this drink from the people serving it. 

We started at The Roost, part of Longmont’s Gafner group of restaurants. Jennifer, our bartender, explained the foundation of the drink with their House Old Fashioned. It’s a simple drink composed of spirit, sugar, and bitters. From there, mixologists riff on that core. The Roost offers a plethora of bourbons and whiskeys and has a selection of spirits from local Colorado distilleries. Their House consisted of Buffalo Trace bourbon, demerara sugar, and bitters. I found it to be a classic taste: spirit-forward, smooth, and slightly sweet.

Jennifer explains how an Old Fashioned is one of her favorites. She loves the simplicity and the variety of whiskeys and bourbons, which create nuanced flavors. Plus, mixologists can get creative by using different spirits, but despite that, it still feels familiar. In October and November, The Roost and 99 Bar Saloon asks every bartender to create an Old Fashioned that is featured for one day. 

“I’m already working on mine,” Jennifer says with a grin.

Abbott & Wallace waits a mere one and a half blocks off Main Street. This grain-to-glass distillery commits to Colorado-grown ingredients and small-batch distillation. They source their grain from Schlagel Farms, only 5 miles away. While there, we meet co-founder John Young, who provides his take on the Old Fashioned. It’s their signature cocktail and the most popular one to do fun riffs on using the different spirits produced in-house. Committing to the classic core ingredients, their house Old Fashioned uses a sugar cube, which makes it easy to control measurements. My friend and I split one of these before moving on to an irresistible offering.

On the seasonal menu, we find a Bacon Old Fashioned. The bartenders collect bacon fat and infuse their house bourbon, a process known as fat washing. The sugar part of it comes from maple syrup, and the bitters consist of house bitters and walnut bitters. It’s then smoked for added flavor. Sam, our bartender, serves it up along with his thoughts on the Old Fashioned; it’s hard to go wrong because it’s timeless and comforting. This version definitely provides depth to the drink, with the bacon fat creating a unique viscosity.

Dry Land Distillers bill themselves as ground-to-glass. They celebrate Colorado by using native and local ingredients in their spirits. This time we pick the spirit to put in our Old Fashioned. We go with the rye. The cocktail reads bright and crisp, with hints of honey and comes in a slightly bougie glass. We discover a difference in the sweet component; Dry Land uses simple syrup.

Nels Wroe, owner and head distiller, takes time out of his busy day to come and sit with us. He explains he likes using the simple syrup because, when made in-house, control over the sweetness increases. Regarding ice, Wroe appreciates the large cube as it allows for the water to slowly dissipate into the drink. This provides for different experiences as the larger cube slowly melts. My friend, an engineer by trade who loves to quantify things, brings up how this process plays out in our tour.

I started off this tour appreciating the simplicity of my favorite adult beverage. As the day progressed, I became more aware of the complexity hidden under the surface. If you’re looking for a fun cocktail adventure, Main Street Longmont definitely delivers. Easy walking, friendly staff, and great beverages comprise the core ingredients.

You may be wondering what the best of the day was. Wroe sums it up perfectly.

“The best Old Fashioned is the one you like.”

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