I like to travel to places I find interesting, fully believing that not every trip needs to be an Instagrammable mountain pose followed by copy-and-pasted inspirational quote.
When I get to these places, I like to kick back and enjoy a good cocktail. But not just any cocktail. An Old Fashioned.
In fact, fair or not, I judge a lot of places on their ability (or more specifically their bartenders ability) to make a great drink, or miss the mark completely.
Then I blog about it because why not?
August 2020.
Just outside of Branson, Missouri, sits the small town of Hollister, which hides a tiny downtown that, at first, is curiously very Olde English.
There’s the Ye Olde Wash House (a laundromat), the Ye Olde English Inn (motel), a Beer & Bottle Shoppe (liquor store), and Grandma’s Goodies & Gumbo. Ok, so they can’t all be Olde English, but you get the idea.
I believe I overheard something about it being a nod to the town’s English roots, but whatever the case, the Downing Street Pour House is a true gem away located five minutes from the friendly tourist-trap downtown of Branson.
After several long days, including a 12-hour drive from Texas to Missouri, I was more than ready to just knock back a few brews, but when I saw the whiskey list, and considered my location, I knew I had to try my luck with my signature cocktail.
It had all the traditional offerings: Maker’s, Jack, etc. But my eye instantly hit the Woodford Reserve, and there was no doubt in my mind from there on out.
My wife ordered gin while I crossed my fingers hoping that the bartender knew their stuff.
Honestly, you could take Woodford Reserve straight up and that’d be just fine too. It’s without a doubt one of the finest whiskey selections you can make. Incredibly smooth taste that you could sip on all evening. Bonus points for the price point too. Woodford won’t set you back like some choices out there.
The drink itself was superb. Not overbearingly sweet, watered down or made too cute, the bartender let the whiskey do the talking and it was near-perfection. In fact, I ordered two, and wasn’t disappointed at all with either.
Turns out our waitress was a Vegas transplant too, living not too far away from our current location. It was a nice little nod to our journey.
We weren’t there to eat, so I can’t speak of the food, but the drinks were well done and the place was clean, with a nice atmosphere, and a good crowd was forming when we left which is always a good sign.
If you’re traveling down Highway 65, or you find yourself in Branson, the Ozarks, or you just fancy a road trip to the heartland of the country, Downing Street Pour House is worth circling on the map.
Score: 8/10
