YouTube
There was once a time when my definition of a cocktail involved a copious amount of alcohol and enough of a mixer to make the cheap booze I was using as a base somewhat tolerable and it’s safe to say some of those combinations were a bit more palatable than others (you only have to mix vodka from a plastic handle with zero-calorie Vitaminwater once before you never do it again).
However, when I graduated from college and moved to New York City around the time the craft cocktail movement was starting to build steam, my eyes were opened and I made a concerted effort to learn the ropes when it came to mixing drinks of my own.
YouTube was an invaluable resource when it came to finding recipes and honing techniques and there was no shortage of channels offering tips and tricks—including one hosted by a Los Angeles bartender named JaNee Nisonger.
According to Punch, Nisonger was recruited by a short-lived website called Maholo.com and made a number of videos to teach people how to make certain drinks—including this one of her mixing up the world’s booziest old fashioned that quickly went down in internet infamy.
In the video, Nisonger whips up an outdated version of an old fashioned that involves muddling maraschino cherries with oranges and bitters before topping it with what she claimed was “three ounces” of bourbon but what was in actuality much, much more than that.
The original video (which was eventually removed from YouTube) racked up millions of views and Nisonger was widely mocked for her lack of bartending acumen (though she places the blame on the people who put together the shoot, as they didn’t provide her with any of the tools you need to make a serviceable cocktail).
Now, almost a decade later, the folks at Jim Beam have decided to give her a shot at redemption in a new video where Nisonger repeatedly references her past mistakes while putting together a slightly more traditional old fashioned that won’t put you on the floor after a single drink.
Nailed it.