A New Old Fashioned

Of late, everyone in the family seems to be drinking the classic of all classic cocktails -- the Old Fashioned. The guys at Drink told us that the Old Fashioned was the original cocktail. Hence the name: “I don’t want one of those other cocktails; I want the old-fashioned cocktail." Sugar, bitters, and whisky are the essential ingredients, but then there are a million variations with fruit. Or no fruit.

John prefers the original recipe: muddle a sugar cube with bitters, and a little water, to put the sugar in solution. Then add ice, and two ounces of whisky, and stir. Which whisky, you ask. John prefers rye (as do I); Mike and Don Draper are partial to bourbon. You can even go with Irish whisky.

Mike found a video on the nola.com website -- some guy at the New Orleans Ritz Carlton teaching everyone how to make cocktails. He adds one wrinkle to the classic recipe. In addition to the sugar, bitters and water, he adds a shaving of orange peel to be muddled with the other ingredients. Not the fruit -- just the rind, to release some of the oils that then flavor the drink, mixing well with the sweet and the bitter flavors.

So here is a variation on that variation. First of all, I use simple syrup, not because it’s better, but because it’s easier. Make the simple syrup 2 to 1. Two parts sugar to one part water. The syrup is more viscous, and more flavorful. About a teaspoonful. And a shaving of orange rind, about the size of a postage stamp. And instead of Angustora, I use Fee Brothers Orange bitters. The bitters picks up the orange flavor, but retains the essential characteristic of bitters. Plus, Fee Brothers is a Rochester business, and it’s a good idea to support the local economy. Muddle all that, not so much that you distintegrate the orange peel, but just enough to release the oils. Then the rest of the mix is pretty much the same -- two ounces of rye, ice, stirred, served on the rocks.

So what do we call the new old fashioned? John suggested something along the lines of the Orange Fashioned, and maybe if we were a bar on Marshall Street, that would catch on. But I’d like something more elliptical, less obvious. And before settling on a name, I want other suggestions. The winner gets a free cocktail of his choice, whipped up right here on my new bar, and made with whatever whisky he or she prefers. Let’s settle on a name before March, because it strikes me that the new old fashioned will be the perfect drink for this year’s tournament.

The Defense

Neither Seton Hall nor Depaul is expected to finish toward the top of the Big East this year. But both came into their SU games with winning streaks, the Hall sporting an 11-1 record. And in totally stifling both teams, while winning easily, the Orange looked like they might actually deserve the number one ranking they currently hold. I recently posted about their bench, and in both of these games the bench played a big role, particularly in the closing minutes of the first half, when Cuse pulled away as they other teams tired. Waiters, Fair and Southerland continue to make big contributions on the offensive end, all of them coming off the bench.

But as important a role as the bench has played, the real reason the team has dominated so far this season is the defense. This year the zone looks as strong as it has ever looked in Boeheim’s long tenure. And the big difference this year is that the D is generating turnovers, both from
steals, and from blocks. The numbers tell the story: Cuse leads the country in total steals, and steals per game. In the GW game I saw a few weeks ago, Waiters alone had six steals. Right now they are averaging over eleven per game. And they are third in the country in blocked shots per game, the big reason being the emergence of Fab Melo as a force inside. (This is such a dramatic change from last year, it deserves its own posting.) In the last two games alone, Fab has sixteen blocks. It’s tough for the opponents to score when they can’t even get a shot off.

And while we’re talking numbers, we’ll add one that is not just a defensive number, but it’s the turnover margin. Not only is the zone generating lots of turnovers, but the Orange guards are protecting the ball pretty well, and the result is a plus eight per game advantage in the turnover
department. And related to that number is their assist-to-turnover ratio, which is number eight in the country. This is really new territory for the Orange, because as good as their D has been in recent years, they weren’t always great at protecting the ball. But playing great defense, and not turning the ball over is a recipe for success. No doubt.

The other good thing about playing great defense is that it’s easier to be consistent. The Orange are going to have games this year when no one shoots well. In fact, they had that kind of game against Seton Hall. Against the Hall they shot under fifty percent, and only 15 percent from three-point range: they went 2 for 13 from outside the arc. But that hardly mattered when they held Seton Hall to fifteen first half points, and generated twenty-three turnovers on the night. Many of those turnovers led to easy scoring opportunities – layups or open jumpers. And in the end, no one cared that the outside shooting was so cold; the game was a blow-out. So on nights when there are guys hitting their threes, and the offense is clicking, they are going to be very tough. But even on nights when the shooters go cold, the defense can keep them in the game, and even generate the offense that the team needs.

So just like two years ago, there are high expectations for this team. Let’s hope everyone stays healthy, and that no more scandalous revelations pop up to distract the team and the coaches from the rest of the season. Go Orange.