The Old Fashioned

Last week we ventured to the Old Fashioned which touts itself as a place representative of all fare Wisconsin. Needless to say, bloody marys are a trademark drink to this fine state whether imbibed for breakfast or brunch as a delicious liquid snack or a tasty hangover cure. With these two factors in mind, the Old Fashioned had much to live up to...and it did!

Upon arriving and waiting for Patrick and Abby, Liz and I sat at the bar and watched as other bloody marys were prepared. To my surprise, the only thing that the bartenders added were the garnishes which are different depending on the type of bloody mary ordered (they have a wide variety to choose from). Upon asking the bartender how their mix was prepared, I was told that not only did they not know the contents but that the cooks were the only ones who prepared the mix. This is truly a testament to their dedication since consistency is key when trying to assign a lasting and representative rating.

Once we were all there and seated, we sat down to look at their bloody mary options. The three of us each ordered something different. I ordered the Old Fashioned Bloody Mary with the spicy option which uses pepper infused vodka. This bloody is garnished with a large slice of beef jerky, a deviled egg, and cheese curds. A beer chaser is also offered.

Without knowing the components of the mix, one can only hope to see and taste the ingredients. At first glance, it is obviously loaded with horse radish from the look of the mix. Upon tasting this bloody, I was extremely impressed. It was well balanced in regards to Worcestershire, vodka, spice, and horse radish. I'm sure there may have been other key components but to sum it all up...this bloody was perfectly balanced and tasted phenomenal. My best compliment is that I didn't even have to add any further spice or pepper to adjust it to my liking. It was perfect.

One final note, we were all truly impressed with our bloody, so much so that we debated whether we could assign it a 5.0. I have to say that it's the best bloody I have had in this town, so far, so it truly deserves a 5.0. All other bloody marys have much to live up to.

Miguel Dominguez

The Old Fashioned

Last Sunday we decided to head to the Old Fashioned because they are rumored to have an amazing bloody mary. We were pleasantly surprised to see they had a bloody mary menu! I ordered the Old Fashioned Bloody Mary. It was the tastiest mix I have had yet. All of the flavors were blended perfectly, but they did warn us it was a little heavier on the horseradish. The bloody mary definitely had more horseradish, but it also had a citrus taste which balanced out all of the other ingredients, I suspect it was lemon juice. We also got a beer chaser, which we believe was PBR. I definitely finished this bloody the fastest. It was very refreshing. Abby absolutely loved her house spicy bloody mary, and she wanted to rate it a 4.999999, but we agreed on the score of 4.5. I wish I had more garnish in my bloody mary but I was able to steal some from Miguel's, which he will blog about next. The Old Fashioned is a bloody mary you must try. Price was $6-8.

Double Diamond Bar @ Tyrol Basin

Although this may extend beyond our geographical reach (i.e. Mt. Horeb), we decided to review the bloody mary at the quaint little Double Diamond Bar at Tyrol Basin. My interest was initially piqued by the towering glass vase full of jalapenos marinating in vodka. Upon inquiring, I was told this was the vodka used in their 'spicy' and 'medium' Bloody Mary concoctions. Some brief background to their options: spicy is served with their own Bloody mix containing the jalapeno infused vodka, 'medium' is served similarly but with a mix of half jalapeno vodka and half un-infused vodka, and their 'mild' does not contain any of the infusion.

Before I could sit down to enjoy my tasty beverage, I was immediately impressed with the presentation...the rim was loaded with two giant shrimp, two skewered olives, and topped off with asparagus (pictures to follow). Upon tasting, one could definitely feel the tinge and unique taste of jalapeno in the vodka. However, I was disappointed when after a few sips there seemed to be something missing. I could taste the usual suspects: tomato juice, horse radish, and Worcestershire; but their mix fell a bit short and lacked that 'hearty' quality. Perhaps it may have had too much vodka since it appeared a bit watered down, but yet the vodka taste was not overpowering (perhaps because I was lost in the jalapeno flavor!). In the end, it excelled in appearance but fell short in substance. This is truly a shame since a great mix would've complemented this vodka so well.

My rating is 3.0. I loved the garnish and presentation, not to mention the effort in using infused vodka. However, taste is ultimately paramount in our reviews.