So you think you know an Old Fashioned?
Like many of the best cocktails, the old fashioned is brilliant in its simplicity. Stir down bourbon with sugar and bitters and serve over ice, garnished with an orange twist.
Developed in the 19th century, it is one of many classic cocktails to have come back into vogue in recent years.
The old fashioned oozes cool. For starters, it was Mad Men protagonist Don Draper's favoured tipple.
And now, thanks to Lyre's Non-Alcoholic Spirits, it is back on the menu for those abstaining from alcohol: Just simply use Lyre's American Malt in place of bourbon.
Lyre's flavour architect David Murphy says that the process of developing American Malt began with some hard work analysing the flavour and aroma characters in premium bourbon.
"With bourbon you typically get flavour notes such as vanilla, molasses, toasty rye bread, dried fruit, baking spices and some woody characters," he says.
"As with all of our products, we used these flavour components as building blocks to create the closest possible likeness in our American Malt.
"We then use pepper to replace the lift and burn you get from alcohol. Rather than finishing a little flat or sweet, we actually want that spice to make it feel as though there's substance all the way through the palate, which is super important."
David says the secret to properly executing a Lyre's Old Fashioned lies in minimising the dilution of the ice.
"You need to keep things cold to start with, so you should store your American Malt in the fridge," he says.
"Then, we really want to make sure that the ice is not stirred too long and the cocktail is not sitting too long on ice prior to consumption."
David says the old fashioned is possibly the most difficult cocktail to replicate in zero alcohol form, but feedback from drinkers suggests Lyre's has nailed the brief.
"The greatest compliment you can get is that, 'yes, that tastes just like a non-alcoholic old fashioned'," he says.
"We do hear that from drinkers when they taste our version using Lyre's American Malt."
