Raise a glass to America’s spirit

Some folks might say National Bourbon Day is every day, but the "official" day to celebrate the strong brown liquor is tomorrow, June 14.

Quick primer: bourbon is an American-born whiskey, made from a grain mixture that must be at least 51 percent corn, aged in new, charred oak barrels, per the Federal Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits (thank you Wikipedia). Most brands of bourbon flow from Kentucky, home of an annual bourbon festival in September and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail of distilleries.

In honor of the holiday and of the excellent "Mad Men" season finale, I give you this recipe for an Old-Fashioned, Don Draper's preferred (bourbon-reliant) cocktail.

-Marisa Nadolny

Old-Fashioned cocktail

2 ounces bourbon

1 sugar cube

2 dashes Angostura
bitters

1 splash water

Place sugar cube in an old fashioned glass and saturate with bitters. Add a dash of soda water and muddle until dissolved. Fill the glass with ice cubes and add whiskey. Garnish with orange slice, lemon twist and two maraschino cherries.

BASED ON THE INTERNATIONAL BARTENDERS ASSOCIATION'S RECIPE.