Last week, Louisville’s mayor, Greg Fischer, declared the Old Fashioned the official cocktail of Louisville, and the Louisville Convention Bureau declared June 1-14 an Old Fashioned Fortnight to celebrate Louisville's signature drink.
The city’s Pendennis Club recipe is considered by many the first “old-fashioned” cocktail menued and served made with sugar and bitters (and depending whom you ask, a cherry and maybe citrus) in 1881, although it’s likely versions of the drink had been around for some time elsewhere.
Louisville isn't the first city to proclaim an official cocktail. New Orleans named the Sazerac their official drink in 2008. Louisville already has a Mint Julep Month, launched in 2013, but the Old Fashioned Fortnight pays tribute to National Bourbon Day on June 14 and coincides with a number of public and private bourbon celebrations this June.
The celebration also features food and drink specials during Urban Bourbon Trail Restaurant Week. Some 34 restaurants and bars will participate in the restaurant week.
In case you were wondering how things are doing in Louisville during this recent and unprecedented American whiskey boom, it’s definitely party time.