Talent Scout

- 2¼ oz overproof bourbon (Old Grand-Dad bottled in bond)
- 1/2 oz orange curaçao (Pierre Ferrand)
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
Build in a rocks glass then stir with a large cube of ice. Garnish with a lemon twist.
The Talent Scout first appears in Bottoms Up by Ted Saucier, published in 1951. Ted Saucier was the long-time publicist for the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York and many of the recipes it contains likely come from the hotel. The book credits the Talent Scout recipe to Arthur Godfrey who had a radio and TV talent show at the time called 'Talent Scouts.'
We first met the drink on The Educated Barfly. It is a surprisingly pleasant variation on the Old Fashioned. The Barfly recommends an overproof (50% abv) bourbon; we use Old Grand-Dad bottled in bond. Don't overdilute the drink, however. A modest stir to mix the ingredients is all that's required.