Susan Miller

I'm sad to say my favorite pub is closing.

Celtic Knot to close: 'I’m from Ireland, and this feels like I’m leaving home again' - Evanston RoundTable After 18 years of serving downtown Evanston, the Celtic Knot Public House, 626 Church St., is closing after this weekend.

There’s a lot to be said about making your Old Fashioned with an aged rum. Like bourbon it sees time in a barrel, which smooths out its harsher edges, adds notes of vanilla and caramel, and increases its depth and complexity, all of which leads to a beautiful marriage with bitters, some sweetener and orange zest. Also, possibly even more so than with whiskey, using an aged rum means versatility. Want something odd and funky? Try playing with Jamaican rums, many of which possess a funk. Looking for something a little more similar to whiskey? Then opt for a gold rum from Barbados, where rums are often aged in whiskey barrels. Want an Old Fashioned that will knock your socks off? Try it with a navy-strength rum (though you’ll really want to limit yourself to only one if you go this route). -