Photograph by Kimberly Motos

Fleetwood

Jess Stewart

Summer sunlight illuminates the room at Fort Oak, where Bar Manager Jess Stewart offers a warm welcome. Royal blue surfaces pop against crisp white tile, gold details, and earthy accents such as a vase of fresh-cut chamomile. The Fleetwood, she says, was inspired by those very flowers.

“It’s made with Old Forester bourbon, lemon juice, chamomile syrup that we make out of chamomile tea in-house, and Cointreau, served on the rocks,” she tells me. Stewart compares it to a Whiskey Sour or another familiar cocktail, “The Gold Rush, which has bourbon, lemon, and honey. And that’s kind of the inspiration: chamomile has those notes of honey. But this one is vegan — no bees were involved.”

Seasonal chamomile is sourced from local farms through Specialty Produce. “We get bouquets delivered once a week: it’s set beautifully on the bartop, has a really nice floral smell to it, and it’s very sunny. And I think some people wouldn’t expect that that’s also our garnish that we pull from, so it’s nice to use a living thing that adds to the ambiance as well as the cocktail.” Plus, on the nose, it “adds a nice smell when you drink the cocktail.”

Stewart says that any fresh, quality chamomile tea will work. “It doesn’t have to be anything crazy expensive. Tazo’s good. We use Rishi — it’s a loose-leaf mesh bag. But it’s the main flavor profile, so if the tea is really good, then the drink will turn out better.”

Her bourbon of choice, “Old Forester, is really good to mix. It’s 86 proof, so not too overpowering. And it just has that classic Kentucky ‘rules and regulations,’ character — it’s straightforward. That’s one of the good things about bourbon,” she explains. “If it says ‘bourbon’ on it, you can pretty much guarantee that it’s quality. It’s one of the most regulated spirits in the world.”

You could also opt for gin, which would pair well with the herbal notes, but she vouches that the drink “is really approachable for new bourbon drinkers. So even if guests are like, ‘Oh I wouldn’t really drink an Old Fashioned,’ I can direct and guide them to this. Lemon, white chamomile flowers, oranges, bourbon — those flavor profiles all fit really nicely together.”

A Fleetwood is especially good “if you’re sitting on the patio,” Stewart says, painting a soothing scene. “I’m more of a situational drinker… Like, if it’s daytime or around dusk on the patio, is a perfect time to enjoy this cocktail.”

Fort Oak

Fort Oak’s

Fleetwood

1.5 oz. Old Forester Bourbon

0.5 oz. Cointreau

1 oz. lemon

0.75 oz. chamomile syrup

To make chamomile syrup: place one chamomile tea bag in 8 oz. of hot water and steep for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bag, add equal parts white sugar and stir until combined. To make cocktail: combine all ingredients into a mixing tin and fill with ice. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Pour into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with 3 chamomile flowers.