Old-fashioned

Old-fashioned: Classic Cocktails and Ancient Wisdom provides a year of weekly rituals for anyone who wants to slow down, breathe, and live with a little more mindfulness.

Each weekly entry invites you to set aside a small pocket of time to make one classic cocktail starting with simple, accessible recipes and gradually expanding into more adventurous territory as your home bar grows. You'll get clear instructions, a short note on technique and ingredients, and a suggestion for how to enjoy the drink mindfully (with or without alcohol).

But there's more! Each entry pairs the drink with a passage from an ancient philosopher, most often the Stoics (Epictetus, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius), followed by a practical reflection designed to bring wisdom and insights into your actual life. Some weeks focus on stress, anger, worry, or resilience. Others explore friendship, discipline, loss, ambition, and the art of accepting what you can't control while acting well where you can.

The philosophy is presented in plain language, without assuming prior knowledge. You'll find brief context for the quotation, a modern interpretation, and a small "exercise" you can try that week.

However you approach it, Old-fashioned offers a sustainable way to build a meaningful routine-one that blends both mindful pleasure and thoughtful reflection.

Make the drink. Set the glass down. Read some wise words that lasted two thousand years. Then decide what kind of person you want to train to be this week.