Carthay Circle’s Old-Fashioned

August 24, 2018 3:04 PM

Last week I was at Disneyland and had an old-fashioned whiskey cocktail at the Carthay Circle Restaurant. It was uh-MAY-zing, and I want to make it at home. How?

Googling the Carthay Circle cocktail menu doesn’t show anything recent enough to have their spin on the old-fashioned on it... and I can’t find an email address or phone number direct to the restaurant to just find out from the source.

Help, help! It was such a good drink! And I can make an old-fashioned at home, but it’s just... not the same, and I’m not sure why! I don’t just want any old-fashioned recipe, I want THAT one: quantities, brands, the whole shebang!

posted by Andrhia to Food & Drink (7 answers total)

Man I bet they would tell you. There are drink recipes from there on YouTube. You could call before dinner service or whenever might be slow, let them know how much you liked it, and ask if they would talk you through how to do it. Then please share the recipe here because an old fashioned is my favorite drink.
posted by fleecy socks at 3:14 PM on August 24, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: You might have good luck posting your question on a Disney-specific message board. The ones at micechat.com are super active.
posted by skycrashesdown at 3:15 PM on August 24, 2018 [1 favorite]

This recipe doesn't list brands, but in the video, the bartender is using Bulleit rye. Not my own personal choice for an Old Fashioned; I far prefer Rittenhouse for the purpose, but you might give it a go. It's likely the same rye they're using in the Old Fashioned.

The bitters, unless brewed in-house, are probably either Peychaud's or Angostura. The device that melts the ice, unfortunately, is hella expensive (previously on the blue). For at-home mixing with ordinary cubes, you'll probably get the best results by placing three cubes in a glass, pouring your liquor, stirring vigorously, adding three more cubes, then stirring again.

The real trick is finding those wonderful cherries; if you have trouble obtaining them, I can vouch for this recipe. If you run across them, though, I think Amarenas are even better, and they can sometimes be acquired at Trader Joe's for a criminally low price.
posted by halation at 3:24 PM on August 24, 2018 [2 favorites]

I don't know anything about Disneyland, but based on the name of the place, one possibility is that they used real gum (gomme) syrup instead of simple syrup. It's cheap and easy to make, but does take a few non-labor-intensive hours.
posted by eotvos at 3:24 PM on August 24, 2018

But or make some spiced demerara syrup.
posted by vrakatar at 3:40 PM on August 24, 2018 [1 favorite]

A quick search for Carthay Circle contact number brings up this (scroll down to the Reservations section). I second either contacting the restaurant or a Disney-specific board.

FYI, my Dad swears by my maternal family's recipe for an Old Fashioned, which requires Cara Cara oranges, when they are in season. It eliminates the need for sugar or simple syrup.

If you find the secret, please post! I love a good Old Fashioned!
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 5:21 PM on August 24, 2018

Response by poster: For future searchers: Disney themselves wouldn’t get back to me and I’m on the wrong coast to show up in person, but I got a bunch of great leads from a question on Disboards.

Thanks!
posted by Andrhia at 4:27 PM on September 24, 2018