Double Standard Sour – Old Waldorf Bar Days

Owes its name to a controversy which during the Nineties divided two political parties on the subject of whether this country should have both a gold and silver standard of currency, or gold alone. Nothing to do with masculine or feminine conduct. 

(star) 

Juice one-half Lime 

One-half Rye Whiskey 

One-half Tom Gin 

One dash Raspberry Syrup 

Stir; strain; fruit

In the 1890’s in the US there was an argument raging regarding how to standardise their currency. Previously different countries coins would circulate, to an extent all over the world, as you can imagine this caused chaos until someone suggested that all currency must have an equivalent value in gold, and that governments should balance international trade my movements of gold to cover deficits. In the 1890’s someone suggested that it should also be pegged to silver, and that silver coins should be minted as this abundance of coin would aid the working classes. This topic essentially decided the presidential election in 1896, it was a big deal.

Gold won that argument and continued to be used this way under several guises until eventually petering out of use in the 1970’s.

Feminine conduct however is still going strong, and in this regard shows no sign of abating.

At the four pillars tasting earlier in the week we tried a couple of great aged gins, and Stuart from four pillars mentioned that the US sees these categories quite differently. Aged gin with the FDA is an oxymoron, as according to them gin is an unaged spirit. Wondrich notes that Old Tom Gins were slightly aged, it would seem because barrels were used as a convenient way of storing spirit’s so a small amount of barrel age was often unavoidable, Old Tom referred to an ‘older’ style, which could be slightly sweetened, and a little aged at the same time.

I’ve used Hayman’s Old Tom Gin for this drink, and it works beautifully. The resultant drink (using a teaspoon of raspberry syrup) is a great little sour, raspberry works very well with whiskey, and despite mixing different spirits like this still reading strangely to me the drink works beautifully. I have no idea why the word ‘star’ appears at the top.