In 1806 a newspaper in Hudson, New York, printed what is often cited as the first definition of the word cocktail: spirits, sugar, water and bitters. As the nineteenth century went on and bartenders began adding liqueurs, fruit and other flourishes, drinkers who wanted the plain original started asking for an old fashioned whiskey cocktail, and the name stuck. It is the ancestor of the whole cocktail family, and it is still made more or less as it was then, usually with American bourbon or rye.

It is a slow drink, built in the glass and stirred, meant to be sipped while it changes gently as the ice melts. That pace suits a long race, especially one that starts in the evening under the lights in Las Vegas. Our zero proof version uses strong smoked tea to stand in for the whiskey's depth, so everyone at the table gets something to linger over.

Rich simple syrup

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (100 g) demerara sugar
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) hot water

Method

1. Stir the sugar into the hot water in a jar until completely dissolved. Cool before using.

The cocktail

Ingredients

• 2 oz (60 ml) bourbon or rye whiskey
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) rich simple syrup from above
• 2 dashes aromatic bitters
• 1 dash orange bitters
• 1 cup ice cubes
• 1 large ice cube
• 1 strip orange peel

Method

1. Pour the whiskey, syrup and bitters into the mixing glass.
2. Add the cup of ice and stir smoothly with the bar spoon, round the inside of the glass, for 20 to 30 seconds.
3. Put the large ice cube in the rocks glass and strain the drink over it.
4. Hold the orange peel skin side down over the glass and pinch it sharply to spray its oils over the drink. Rub the peel around the rim and drop it in.

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