‘Tis the season for Old Fashioneds and plenty of them.

Recently, I went to visit my mother (heretofore referred to as Mamoo because that what we call her, that is what the Community calls her) in Birmingham, AL and we took a little trip up to Nashvegas, TN. Nashville is a special place, a ridiculous place and a delicious place. In fact, when I mentioned that instead of going to the ATL or the Beach, we should go to Nashville, Mamoo was like, “Um hun, what? What’s in Nashville?”

I feel like most of the country has no idea about the totally awesome country music wackyness mixed with totally cutting-edge-cool-cash-money-$$$ amazingness which is the Nashville food and cocktail scene. It’s Americana mixed with tender love and care. In otherwords, Nashville is really good at ripping other things off.

The best example of this is the whole, “Handmade in Brooklyn”, ahem, cough, “Handmade in Nashville” revival. Even in downtown Nashville, Mamoo and I found Acme, a giant warehouse sized diner-cum-grocer full of “this product was handmade just outside of town at a farm we know.” Not to knock it, this Home Bar Girl is ALLLLLL about the locally made goods. Just funny. Super funny that no matter where you go in America, if there are people who like to burn money, they will totally buy “Handmade in X” products.

I am definitely one of those people.

And so I bought this incredible Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt by Bourbon Barrel Foods at Marché in East Nashville, who btw, makes perhaps the GREATEST french toast in all the land. Croissant french toast y’all. I mean, I just can’t.

This salt is LEGITIMATELY FANTASTIC. The smell alone is like bacon mixed with bourbon mixed with crack. IT’S CRACK Y’ALL. I cannot wait to use it on everything in sight. I will use it on steaks, I will use it on French toast, I will use it on dessert.

AND I WILL DEFINITELY USE IT IN AN OLD FASHIONED WITH MAPLE LIQUEUR AND BLACK WALNUT BITTERS. Yeeeehaw.

Wood & Salt

• 2 oz Bourbon or Rye
• 1/2 oz Maple Liqueur
• 1 Barspoon Brown Sugar or Demerara Sugar (but brown sugar is like a knockout!)
• 2 dashes Black walnut Bitters
• 1 dash Orange Bitters
• Pinch of Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt
• Orange peel
• Maraschino Cherry

Build in glass: first add sugar, bitters and maple liqueur. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Next, add Whiskey and ice, stir again. Express orange peel and garnish with cherry. Lastly, sprinkle a pinch of Bourbon Smoked Salt on top of ice. Santé! Try not to die from the amazingness.