Smooth, spicy, and a little complex — that’s surely how people describe me. Ironically, it’s also the perfect description for the classic American cocktail, the Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned.
We all have our drink of choice, and for me, that drink is an Old Fashioned. As a lover of all things of the whisky and bourbon persuasion, an Old Fashioned is the perfect libation to end the day, or kick off the night.
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Given the nature of this arguably simple drink (with typically just three ingredients) the choice of whisky or bourbon to construct the perfect cocktail is paramount. My personal choice is always Woodford Reserve. The sultry, amber-hued bourbon is rich and silky, with all of that toffee sweetness bourbon is so famous for but also with a level of refined complexity enhanced with gentle notes of cinnamon and spice, resulting in what is the perfect Old Fashioned.
For those unfamiliar with the classic Old Fashioned, Woodford Reserve presents the annual Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned Month celebration. Across the month of November, expect a plethora of iconic bars and restaurants Woodford Reserve’s complex and sophisticated flavours taking this favourite cocktail to new heights. Having started in Paris, France in 2015, Old Fashioned Week is now a global event.
Here in New Zealand, as part of this year’s Old Fashioned Month, Woodford Reserve has partnered with a series of bars throughout the country with mixologists at each location invited to create their own signature iteration of this famed libation.
Below you’ll find our edit of the finest bars and restaurants to savour a Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned.
Auckland
Broken Lantern, Ponsonby
Chapel Bar, Ponsonby
Danny Doolans, Viaduct Harbour
Fulltime Bar & Eatery, Kingsland
Panacea, Auckland CBD
Piggy Bar, Howick
Revelry, Ponsonby
The Good Luck Coconut, Wynyard Quarter
Tomfoolery, K’Road
Twentyone, SkyCity
Voco Auckland City Centre, Auckland CBD
The Whiskey, Ponsonby
Hamilton
Last Place, Hamilton Central
Neat, Hamilton East
The Lookout, Pukete
Wayward Pigeon, Chartwell
Wonder Horse, Hamilton Central
Bay of Plenty
Latitude 37, Mount Maunganui
Mount Master Kong, Mount Maunganui
Palace, Mount Maunganui
The Barrel Room, Tauranga
The Freeport with Cleaver & Co, Mount Maunganui
The Mill House, Tauranga
Wellington
Amador, Wellington Central
Bin44, Queens Wharf
Boneface Brewing Co., Upper Hutt
Cuckoo Emporium, Customhouse Qua
Dockside, Queens Wharf
Eva Beva, Te Aro
Hawthorn Lounge, Te Aro
Loretta, Cuba Street
Naumi Hotel Wellington, Te Aro
Nicolini’s Restaurant, Te Aro
S&M’s Cocktail Bar, Cuba Street
Sofitel Wellington, Wellington Central
Vinyl Bar, Courtenay Place
Waterfront Bar, Raumati Beach
Wilson Barbecue, Johnsonville
Christchurch
Boo’s, Victora Street
Kaiser Brew Garden, Riverside Market
Scoundrel, Christchurch CBD
The Last Word, Christchurch CBD
Dunedin
Pequeño Lounge Bar, Central Dunedin
Titi Restaurant, St Clair
Invercargill
Kelvin Hotel, Invercargill
The Langlands Hotel, Invercargill
