Guthrie-based WanderFolk Spirits puts a twist on an annual tradition.
WanderFolk Spirits general manager Derek Duty said the Guthrie-based distillery wanted to localize the annual Old Fashioned Week and highlight local bars that feature creative, well-crafted cocktails.
“It’s really the first unrestricted holiday in the last three years,” Duty said. “It’s a chance for us to encourage people to get out and support local businesses, including the bars and WanderFolk.”
In addition to their stellar line of clear spirits, WanderFolk finishes whiskeys in barrels in Guthrie and releases them under the Same Old Moses label, thus, Same Old Fashioned Week. The line of whiskey includes a base bourbon and rye as well as bourbon finished in PX sherry casks, ruby port casks and tawny port casks. The composition of the Old Fashioned will depend on the bartenders at participating bars.
“We told the bartenders to show out, give people a reason to choose your bar as a stop on the tour,” Duty said.
WanderFolk has structured the week like a bourbon trail, including a passport that can be stamped at each bar. Visit five bars, and you’re eligible for prizes. And you can vote for your favorite, which will help at least one local bartender win some prizes, too. The promotion is happening in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, as well as bars in Arkansas and Kansas.
“We hear all the time that people typically hit one or two favorite bars, so the passport encourages them to venture outside the normal routine and experience some of the city’s better bars and bartenders,” Duty said.
Bars were allowed to pick whichever Same Old Moses product they preferred to craft their Old Fashioned, so customers are likely to see a wide range of variations on this classic cocktail. The hope is that participating bartenders will create a multitude of expressions that showcase the whiskey in different recipes. The passports are at participating bars, and a full list of bars is available on the WanderFolk website.
The list of bars includes local favorites like Barkeep, Burger Punk, Frida, The Hamilton, Lunar Lounge, Palo Santo, Scratch – Paseo, and Blackbird (Norman). Same Old Fashioned Week runs from Monday, Nov. 13 through Saturday, Nov. 19. WanderFolk will be releasing a video on all their social media platforms to explain the whole process, so find and follow them on your preferred platform.
