Michael’s Sunset Old Fashioned in a rocks glass with a large clear ice cube, muddled Luxardo cherries, and orange peel on a rustic wood table at sunset.

Michael’s Sunset Old Fashioned

This is the drink you pour when the day’s work is done — and you’re done proving anything. Purposefully sweet. Purposefully slow. A cherry-orange forward note in a heavy glass, built for watching the light slide off the hills while you take your time enjoying life’s little wins.

 

Ingredients

• 3 oz fruit-forward bourbon (2 shots @ 1.5 oz)

• 1.5 oz Cointreau (1 shot @ 1.5 oz)

• 3 Luxardo cherries

• 2 Collins orange peel slices (from the jar)

• 1 Tbsp Luxardo cherry syrup (from the jar)

• 1 tsp Collins orange syrup (the liquid from the jar)

• 5–6 dashes Angostura bitters (adjust to your preference

• Ice (Michael likes small cubes; one big “statement cube” just looks right)

 

Method

  1. Add cherries, orange peel slices, Luxardo syrup, Collins orange syrup, and bitters to a rocks glass.
  2. Muddle firm but controlled—crush the cherries and press the peel just enough to wake up the oils. Don’t grind it into bitterness.
  3. Pour in bourbon and Cointreau.
  4. Add a small handful of ice and stir 20–30 seconds until the glass is cold and the drink turns silky.
  5. Serve two ways:
    • Best balance: keep the small cubes and drink it as-is.
    • Best look: after stirring cold, pour over one big statement cube.


Tip: If it tastes “hot” or too syrupy, the fix usually isn’t more ingredients—it’s more stirring (dilution is the discipline that makes sweet mind its manners).

— ✦ — ✦ —

By the Fire

Rugged men don’t have to pretend they don’t like sweet. It’s recognition of life’s pleasures. If you can run a pit, you can enjoy a slow sipper at sundown without asking permission. This one’s for memories made—and making a few more before the sky goes dark.

The PitMaster’s Toast

Here’s to a quiet sky, a heavy glass, and a man who knows when to slow down. Cheers!

Pitmaster/Grillmaster

Michael McDearman is a PitMaster/Grillmaster, Restaurateur, and Good Ol’ Country Boy with a Passport full of Cook-Offs and a Phone full of Grill Photos — not a backyarder playing PitMaster online. He’s represented 50+ Major BBQ & Grilling Companies, served 3 Years as Grillmaster for Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner., Won Contests Around the World, earned SIX Straight Golden Tickets to the Steak World Championship, and Judges Food Competitions on the World’s Largest Food Sport Stages.

Michael’s the BBQ Buddy who shows up with Tongs, Temps, and a Plan: Honest Temps, Natural Fats, Good Drinks & Good Times! If it’s a fake outfit or accent or just bad info, it’s OUT. Life is too short. Let’s have FUN! If it helps you win Saturday Dinner for your “Judges” — Family, Friends, and Folks — it’s IN. Steak, Brisket, Burgers, or Ribeyes for a Crowd — BBQ, Grilling, Outdoor Living is the Way.

Back to blog