american oak

2 1/4 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 tsp Maple Syrup (1/6 oz)
1 tsp Vanilla Syrup (1/6 oz)
2 dash Chocolate Bitters (Bittermens Mole)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Thursdays previous, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for the menu-less speakeasy Idlewild in Charlotte, North Carolina. There, I spied the American Oak that seemed like a vanilla for walnut liqueur version of Backbar's Fall Back with a similar Bourbon, maple, and chocolate bitters trio in an Old Fashioned format. Peachy Magazine attributed the recipe to the bar in their Fall 2020 issue. Here, the American Oak opened up with orange, Bourbon, maple, and vanilla aromas. Next, a slightly dark sip from the maple grew into Bourbon, maple, and vanilla flavors on the swallow. Overall, no great surprises here, but, it was definitely rather satisfying.