The Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy | Classic Rock Inspired Cocktail Collection

Queen is my favorite band of all time, and “Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy” off the album A Day at the Races is arguably my favorite song of theirs. It’s upbeat but a little bit jazzy and funky, feeling coolly sophisticated but not pretentious. I wanted to create a cocktail that reminded me of an elegant restaurant or fancy clothing, not only to emulate the premise of the song, but to pay homage to Freddie’s eccentric personality. The play on words was also too good to pass up, of course, so I landed on an elevated version of a classic old fashioned.

The opening notes of the song include pomp piano keys, soft electric guitar strums and quiet vocals that lead into the grander chorus, and this cocktail also mimics the song’s style. Initially you taste soft flavors of blood orange with a slight hint of rosemary, and eventually you reach the deeper notes of the bourbon. As you keep drinking, the flavors all mesh together, creating a cohesive taste that’s as effervescent as Queen’s discography, especially this song in particular.

Ingredients:

2 oz bourbon

2 oz blood orange juice

2 dashes blood orange bitters

2 dashes angostura bitters

1 splash rosemary-infused simple syrup

1 rosemary sprig

1 blood orange peel

Stir all ingredients together with ice and strain into glass. Garnish with rosemary and orange peel.