Destination: Cocktail

Sometimes simpler is better. Like when it comes to your divorce proceedings or a stiff whiskey drink. David Fleisher, the general manager at Freddy Smalls, a new meat-and-alcohol-lovers hang in West Los Angeles, agrees. In homage to the stripped-down days of the Wild West, he’s created a drink called the Stumbling Cowboy that will set your spurs spinning with a hot shot of rye, a dash of club soda and the mellow sweetness of sarsaparilla syrup. It goes well with the restaurant’s serious menu of bone marrow, steak tartare and oxtail terrine.

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The Stumbling Cowboy by David Fleisher

1.5 parts rye whiskey

1 part sarsaparilla syrup

1 part club soda

Combine ingredients in a Collins or old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge and a piece of candied ginger.

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Freddy Smalls, 11520 Pico Blvd., West Los Angeles. (310) 479-3000; https://www.freddysmalls.com.

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—Jessica Gelt