Fiserv Forum to Serve “Conservative Old Fashioneds,” Just Bitters, at RNC
MILWAUKEE – With the Republican National Convention in full swing in Downtown Milwaukee, WNT reporters have had a chance to sample some of the food and drink specialties being offered to the hundreds of GOP delegates, staffers and officials. One particular feature is a unique take on Wisconsin’s official state cocktail, the Brandy Old Fashioned.
We sat down with Benny “Stewy” Studebaker, Fiserv Forum VP of Beverage Operations, to discuss the four-day event’s featured drink officially named The Conservative Old Fashioned Presented by Sam’s Club/Walmart and The Walton Family Foundation.
“We wanted something with the welcoming charm and flavor Wisconsin is known for but with a non threatening presence tailored to our specific guests,” stated Studebaker, “The Wisconsin classic, the Brandy Old Fashioned, felt like the perfect place to start. However, we understand that some of our guests may be averse to any drink that may seem ‘fruity,’ so the first thing we did was remove the muddled orange slice and cherries. Following suit, we removed the traditional sugar cube used in the drink as that has a connotation of something sweet and dainty. Next, we realized that brandy, being distilled wine, might come off as ‘European,’ and removed it from the recipe. That left us with ice and Angostura bitters. ‘Angostura’ sounds pretty foreign and might confuse some of our guests, so we sourced our bitters from our new partners at Walmart/Sam’s Club to use their own Members Mark brand of cocktail bitters.”
Studebaker was kind enough to handmake WNT reporters the signature cocktail: Two dashes of generic store-brand bitters over a couple ice cubes.
