Seelbach Cocktail

Built in 1905, the Seelbach Hotel is Louisville's oldest hotel and home to one of the city's signature cocktails. The hotel is known for being the establishment where author F. Scott Fitzgerald met the charismatic mobster and notorious bootlegger George Remus, who purportedly inspired the main character for his classic novel the Great Gatsby and also the location of Tom and Daisy Buchannan's extravagant June wedding.

The prohibition-inspired Seelbach Cocktail has been a staple of the hotel for decades and gives tribute to the roaring 20s by mixing Bourbon, champagne, bitters, orange liqueur and an orange to garnish. It’s also said that the Bourbon of choice for the cocktail must be Old Forester, as the distillery was located just a few blocks away on Whiskey Row when the hotel opened in the early 1900s.

Recipe:

• 1 ounce Old Forester Bourbon
• 1/2 ounce Orange Liqueur
• 3 dashes Angostura Bitters
• 4 dashes Peychaud's Bitters
• 5 ounces Champagne

Build in a flute glass in the order given and garnish with an orange peel.

Find more information on Louisville's popular regional food and cocktails here. You can also find more on F. Scott Fitzgerald and the Guide to Gatsby's Louisville here.