Drink of the Week: LiveWire Alley Cat Old Fashioned

Ironically, despite the inordinate amount of free time I found myself with over the past year, I became more and more appreciative of premade, ready-to-drink cocktails. Whether it was a Martini straight from the freezer that I miraculously had the foresight to batch ahead of time, or one of the many, many new canned cocktails on the market that fit the bill for an after-work stroll around the neighborhood, a simple open-and-pour cocktail now strikes me as Nobel-level brilliance—especially when you can enjoy the craft of a bartender like Chris Patino (Raised by Wolves) in your own home.

The Alley Cat Old Fashioned is the newest release from LiveWire, a canned cocktail company launched last year by L.A.-based bartender Aaron Polsky, who collaborates with his industry colleagues to get their signature creations into cans and onto shelves. Or, in the case of the Alley Cat Old Fashioned, a bottle. Patino’s take on the classic is a blend of straight rye whiskey with aged apple brandy, the spiciness of the former nicely complementing the subtly sweet fruit notes of the latter. Balanced with cherry bark and vanilla bitters from Bittercube, the result is a bar-quality drink that requires nothing more than the willingness to pour over ice and enjoy—brilliant. $19.99/ 375 ml., livewiredrinks.com