Recipe
Stir all with ice and strain into a glass. No garnish needed.
About
Another classic cocktail from the early 1900s, this is the Old Pal. It’s a spirit-forward whiskey cocktail that is perfect for those who enjoy the complexity of a Manhattan or Boulevardier/Negroni, but prefer something a bit less sweet. I find this quite dry (non-sweet) and almost slightly savory with the usage of dry vermouth. The flavor lingers quite a bit on the palate, in a nice way.
A note on “dry vermouth”…in printed recipes, there’s sometimes references to “Italian vermouth” or “French vermouth” as opposed to “sweet/red” and “dry”…which I used to find quite confusing. But this naming really just refers to the traditional geographical origins of the production style.
Modern sweet/red vermouth was created by the Carpano family from Italy in the 1700s, and the dry style was developed by the Noilly family from France in the 1800s. As such, “Italian vermouth” generally refers to the sweet, rich flavors of a red vermouth, while “French vermouth” refers to the non-sweet dry style. That said, nowadays both styles are readily produced from all major vermouth brands, regardless of region (i.e. Carpano makes a dry, while Noilly Prat makes a red, as well as some additional styles).