Old Fashioned #1 - The Hamilton
Perfect Fine Start to my Best Old Fashioned in DC Venture
When?
Saturday at brunch. Weirdly, I gave absolutely no thought to the first Old Fashioned I would try as part of my endeavor to find the best in DC. It wasn’t until I was already halfway through my weekend brunch at the Hamilton that I decided it would start then. I already had my coffee and some sushi, and we were ordering entrees, and I thought…. why not? So I ordered an Old Fashioned. I provided no other information, nor did the waiter ask for any information. And I took notes, and certainly enough notes to be able to intelligently talk about it.
So here we go:
What exactly did I order?
“I’ll do an Old Fashioned.” That was it. Didn’t clarify bourbon v. rye. Didn’t clarify anything. Didn’t order a special version on the menu. Just a good ol’ old fashioned Old Fashioned.
Appearance?
You tell me:
So, first off, a note for all future posts: I will take the picture as soon as possible after I’m given the drink in order to give all drinks the same chance.
With that in mind… it doesn’t look…. great. The rock is way too small for the glass. The orange twist and cherry are good garnishes, but I can’t get passed the fact that the ice looks pretty awful. A good old fashioned should have one big rock that allows the drink to be properly chilled without getting diluted too quickly. This doesn’t have that.
Thoughts?
Okay, it was good. It’s not bad; it’s not great; it’s good. It’s pretty decently balanced. It was likely bourbon and not rye (which is fine), and despite it’s initial appearance, I enjoy the beverage. I would have wanted a little more sweetness personally. And I will say it diluted very quickly, which makes sense given that the rock was very small and didn’t last very long.
But, it paired quite well with the Hamilton Burger. Not a bad combo at all. The brunch overall was really good and can’t complain about getting some high quality sushi. Yelp review here:
Would I get the Old Fashioned again?
Honestly, probably not. It’s not because it isn’t any good, but I feel like the Hamilton has a lot of other cocktails I would want to explore. Maybe I would get it again and see if I could get some more specifics on the options for the Old Fashioned, and possibly do it with rye instead.
Is it the best Old Fashioned in DC?
Well, since it’s the first one I’ve had on my journey, I think it has to be… So… Yes, it’s the best Old Fashioned in DC as of now. But is it really? Absolutely not, and I’m sure it’ll be dethroned very quickly.