The Occasional Observer

Eric Felten's article, "When Bourbon Alone Won't Do" in this Saturday's (9/9/06) WSJ provided some great quotes for bourbon lovers. Two that were particularly enjoyable:

When the Trumans moved into the White House, Bess asked head butler Alonzo Fields for Old-Fashioneds. He made them with bourbon, a little sugar, bitters and a slice of orange. Too sweet, complained Bess. He tried again, and Mrs. Truman took her complaint to usher J.B. West, telling him that "she and the President did not care for fruit punch," according to biographer David McCullough. The next night Fields, "his pride hurt, poured her a double bourbon on ice." The First Lady sipped and proclaimed, "Now that's the way we like our Old-Fahioneds."

And here's another:

So established is the cult of bouron drunk straight that the venerable Mint Julep comes in for derision. One old Kentucky Julep recipe instructs: "Pluck the mint gently from its bed, just as the dew of the evening is about to form upon it. Select the choicer sprigs only, but do not rinse them." Then after making up the sugar syrup and measuring out the whiskey comes the crucial step: "Pour the whiskey into a well-frosted silver cup, throw the other ingredients away and drink the whiskey."