Upstater

Is the fact the Old Fashioned was born in the Columbia County city Hudson common knowledge? Back in the early 19th century, the drink that mixes sugar, bitters, and bourbon was called the Bittered Sling (we like that name better) and was first referenced in an issue of the magazine, The Balance and Columbian Repository. We learned all about the history of the Old Fashioned from its modest beginnings in the Hudson Valley’s own redlight town all the way to its reawakening thanks to its ever-presence in Don Draper’s hand, cigarette in the other, on Mad Men from this article recently posted on Eater.com. Next time you’re in Hudson, we suggest you hit Fish & Game for an Old Fashioned. Or, even better, you can pop into Kozel’s Restaurant in West Ghent, the supper club-like restaurant mentioned in the article located 10 minutes from Hudson, and order yourself a steak and an Old Fashioned from just the type of place where the cocktail saw its mid-century heyday.