Let us all raise a glass to James E. Pepper for orchestrating this very simple recipe, which would become the most quintessential whiskey cocktail of all time.
It is written that sometime in the 1890’s, while at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky, James asked the bartender to whip up a cocktail for a fellow customer who was not partial to the taste of whiskey. This recipe must have been enjoyable, as it traveled with James to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, where James attended numerous dinners and celebrations with other legends of society. After all, James was a premier whiskey distiller and master of marketing; naturally he would encourage everyone to drink his whiskey. Decades later, this recipe was published in the 1935 edition of the Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book, and eventually became commonplace in fine whiskey establishments across the United States.
James E. Pepper: Inventor of the Old Fashioned
Equipment
- Jigger
- Bar Spoon
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz 1776 Straight Rye Whiskey
- 1 cube White Sugar
- 2 dashes Angostura® Aromatic Bitters
- Splash of water
- Lemon Peel
Instructions
- Dissolve or muddle sugar with bitters and a splash of water in an Old Fashioned glass
- Add the ice. Recommended using one large cube or fill glass 3/4 full of ice
- Add 1.5oz 1776 Straight Rye Whiskey and stir
- Express lemon peel over your glass to release citrus oils
- Garnish with lemon peel and enjoy!
It is worth your time to learn about the rise and fall of this third-generation whiskey distiller, who inherited the family business at the young age of 15, when his father passed away. A family friend, Colonel E. H. Taylor took him in, and as his guardian oversaw the distilling business while James was learning the ropes. Like many other legends of distilling, James’ story involves great loss, elaborate self-promotion, wealth, fame, fires, bankruptcy (twice), and a very clever woman that he had the good fortune to marry. James E. Pepper was instrumental in the founding of the “Bottled in Bond” Act, and was the first to use a signature strip on his bottles to further ensure the untampered quality of his fine whiskeys. James capitalized on his family namesake, claiming the use of the pre-revolutionary original recipe from his grandfather, therefore “Born with the Republic” and named Old 1776 Whiskey. His brilliant wife came to the relationship with some wealth of her own and a fine pedigree in the horse racing business, a common interest between these two lovebirds. When the distillery fell on hard times due to the industry-wide glut of inventory, Ella Offutt Pepper “Queen of the Turf”, purchased back the distillery and several horses at auction, with none of her contemporaries willing to bid against this powerhouse women. Ella masterfully built the famous Meadowthorpe Racing Farm, home to numerous premiere winning horses, continentally and abroad, with mush financial success and fame herself. Sadly, James lost his life in 1906 after a head trauma from a slip on the ice, and so Ella lost her will to continue in these business ventures without her beloved. The businesses were sold off, and the legacies continued in new hands.
Fast forward to 2008, entrepreneur Amir Peay discovered the history of Old Pepper Whiskey while researching historic boxing matches and catching a glimpse of James E. Pepper’s sponsorship banner in an old boxing ring photograph. Amir was destined to become the new caretaker of the Pepper Distillery legacy, he has committed himself to excavating and protecting an immense quantity of history and artifacts, as well as continuing the production of Pepper’s fine whiskeys. Follow this link for a short documentary on the history of the people and the Lexington landmark, then be sure to visit next time you are in town! https://jamesepepper.com/pepper-history/
