Buy Photo Adam Seger prepared Kentucky Fosters at the Oakroom in the Seelbach Hilton Hotel in September 1998. (Photo: CJ File Photo)Buy Photo 
 
 The man who claimed to bring back the famed Seelbach Cocktail admitted to the New York Times that the entire story was a promotional move. 
 
 Adam Seger, former director of restaurants for the Seelbach Hotel, said that the cocktail – a bourbon-champagne drink believed to be part of the downtown hotel's history – is actually his creation. He also admitted to concocting the tale of its invention, which has become a part of Louisville lore. 
 
 “I was nobody,” said Seger, who recently helped open The Tuck Room in downtown Manhattan to the Times. “I had no previous accolades in the bar world. I knew I could make a great drink. I wanted it to be this promotion for the hotel, and I felt the hotel needed a signature cocktail. How could you have a place that F. Scott Fitzgerald hung out in that doesn’t have a damn cocktail?” 
 
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 According to a story published in the Courier-Journal on Dec. 17, 1997, Seger said that an Irish hotel school intern discovered the recipe for the drink before he began his tenure as director of restaurants. He decided to include the recipe on the menu as an homage to the history of the hotel, which inspired Fitzgerald's novel, "The Great Gatsby." 
 
 "The explanation he gives for its creation is this, that a bartender at the old Rathskeller bar opened a bottle of champagne, whose contents shot into the air. The bartender grabbed a customer's Manhattan cocktail to catch the overflowing champagne," wrote the Courier-Journal. 
 
 Shortly after the initial story, the drink was included in “New Classic Cocktails,” a 1997 book by Gaz Regan and Mardee Haidin Regan. It later found its way into “Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails," a book by historian Ted Haigh, also known as Dr. Cocktail. 
 
 The Courier-Journal continued to report the story numerous times, including most recently in a Q-and-A with a Seelbach Hotel bartender in January 2013. That article remains linked on the hotel's website. 
 
 "In 1995, the hotel's restaurant director, Adam Seger, discovered the recipe and put it back on the hotel's cocktail menu," the 2013 story said. "In short time, the Seelbach Cocktail has been established as a true classical cocktail and featured on menus all over the world." 
 
 In the Times story, which was posted Monday, Seger said that nobody, including the newspaper and the authors, ever asked him to show the old menu with the cocktail in it. He recently admitted his fabrication to Gaz Regan. 
 
 “To be honest, I always suspected that Adam had created the drink, but I really, really loved it, his story was almost plausible, and I needed recipes for ‘New Classic Cocktails,' " he said, according to the Times. 
 
 While the hotel, now known as the Seelbach Hilton, is aware of the Seger's transgression, a hotel official said that it has no plans to remove the drink from its menu. 
 
 The cocktail "has certainly been a tradition of the hotel and will remain part of its future," said Matthew Willinger, the hotel’s director of public relations, according to the Times. 
 
 The Seelbach Cocktail (Photo: File Photo) 
 
 The Seelbach Cocktail (Makes 1 drink) 
 
 1 ounce Old Forester bourbon 
 
 1/2 ounce triple sec 
 
 7 dashes Angostura bitters 
 
 7 dashes Peychaud bitters 
 
 5 ounces chilled Korbel Brut 
 
 1 orange twist, for garnish 
 
 Combine the bourbon, triple sec and both bitters in a champagne flute; stir briefly, just to blend. Pour in the champagne. Twist the orange peel and rub the exterior of it around the rim of the flute; drop the twist into the cocktail. Serve at once. 
 
 (Source: Previously published in the Courier-Journal on Dec. 17, 1997.) 
 
 Justin Sayers can be reached at (502) 582-4252 or jsayers@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @_JustinSayers. 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://cjky.it/2fatRmT ||||| For the last 20 years, if you were in the bar business and knew one thing about the bartender Adam Seger, it was that he was the man behind the Seelbach cocktail. 
 
 The Seelbach is named after the Seelbach Hotel (today the Seelbach Hilton), a storied century-old lodging in downtown Louisville, Ky., that is mentioned briefly in “The Great Gatsby.” Shortly after being put in charge of the hotel’s bar and restaurant operations in 1995, Mr. Seger declared that he had discovered a recipe for a pre-Prohibition cocktail that was once the hotel’s signature drink. He tested it, liked it and put it on the menu. 
 
 The news media soon picked up on the tale, and within a few years, the Seelbach cocktail was regarded as a rescued classic. It’s a tantalizing back story, one that has charmed cocktail writers and aficionados for years, and there’s only one thing wrong with it: None of it is true. ||||| Ever wondered what the difference is between all those dark liquors? If you think they're all the same, think again. Whiskeys come in many forms, and we're here to help you distinguish between the three main types (bourbon, scotch and rye) plus show you a few cocktails to remember them by! 
 
 From craft cocktails to giant whiskey lists, dark spirits have been cropping up on more and more menus across the country. Check out what makes each unique, and the next time you're navigating the drink selection you'll be well equipped to order (and enjoy) the tasty spirit you really want. 
 
 Whiskey (or sometimes, Whisky) 
 
 Who should we thank for the different spellings of this popular spirit? Geography. "Whiskey" is produced stateside, while many other countries call their product "whisky." However you choose to spell it, this distilled alcoholic beverage is made from fermented grain mash (barley, corn, rye or wheat) and typically aged in charred white oak casks, giving it its distinctive brown color. Whiskey is a broad category of liquor and can have lots of differences in color, taste and smell. 
 
 Photo provided by The Pig. 
 
 Washington D.C.'s The Pig, with over 70 choices on its menu, celebrates differing shades and nuanced flavors across a variety of whiskeys -- some perfect for sipping solo and others ideal for incorporating into a mixed drink. 
 
 How to drink it 
 
 If you're looking for a classic whiskey-based cocktail, the Boulevardier combines a good dose of whiskey with equal parts Campari (an Italian, bitter dark red liqueur) and sweet vermouth (a fortified wine flavored with botanicals like flowers, seeds and herbs): 
 
 Photo provided by Huertas. Photo by Nancy Borowick. 
 
 In the Boulevardier at Huertas in NYC, Michter's Whiskey and Contratto Bitters come together with a dash of the restaurant's own house-made Red Vermouth. 
 
 Ready for more? Several subsets lie within the "whiskey" category, all with subtle yet important differences... 
 
 Scotch 
 
 Technically, Scotch is whisky (spelled without the "e") that must be produced in Scotland, made from mostly malted barley and aged in oak barrels for three years or more. (The number following the name on a bottle of Scotch tells you how long it was aged.) Some Scotch tastes a lot like bourbon, but with a signature smokiness that lingers at the tail-end of a tasting. For this reason, some people avoid it, but for others, the acquired taste only makes the experience better. 
 
 How to drink it 
 
 Scotch is most often ordered "neat" (without ice) or "on the rocks" (with ice). When drinking Scotch neat, you may want to add a few drops of water, as this can help reveal the flavors of the liquor. 
 
 Scotch. 
 
 Purists drink their Scotch unadulterated, as its strong flavor profile doesn't tend to go well in mixed drinks. However, the Rob Roy -- named after Scottish hero Robert Roy MacGregor -- is a timeless cocktail that's favored by many a whiskey drinker and made with Scotch, sweet vermouth, Angostura bitters and a maraschino cherry. 
 
 Rob Roy. 
 
 Bourbon 
 
 Bourbon, whose name comes from an area known as "Old Bourbon" in Kentucky, is a whiskey that's distilled from corn. For a whiskey to be considered bourbon, the grain mash must be at least 51 percent corn. On top of that, by law the mixture must be stored in charred oak containers and cannot contain any additives. From "Mad Men" episodes to modern nightclubs, neighborhood bars to interoffice gifts, bottles of bourbon have been popping up (and open) on our collective radar a lot in the last few years. 
 
 Bourbon. 
 
 How to drink it 
 
 Both Scotch and bourbon are satisfying on their own, but also go particularly well with spice. Bottlefork in Chicago features the spirits in two drinks: 
 
 Photo provided by Bottlefork. 
 
 "Differences of Character" has Bank Note 5 Year Blended Scotch Whisky, Allspice Dram (an allspice-flavored liqueur), ghost chili, lemon and honey, while "For the Allocation" includes Very Old Barton bourbon, Génépi des Alpes (an Italian herbal liqueur), plus Gran Classico and Regan's Orange Bitters. 
 
 For something a little sweeter, check out the Apple Barrel at Whetstone Tavern in Philadelphia: 
 
 Photo provided by Whetstone Tavern. 
 
 This one combines bourbon with Apfelkorn (a sweet, apple-flavored liqueur). 
 
 Or if you like things a bit more tart, try The Wishbone from Bowery Meat Company in NYC: 
 
 Photo provided by Bowery Meat Company. Photo by Jackie Gebel. 
 
 Cinnamon-infused bourbon, black peppercorn, lemon, egg white and bitters come together in this fresh take on the classic whiskey sour. 
 
 Finally, if you're on the hunt for a quintessential bourbon cocktail, get to know the Old Fashioned, where sugar and bitters are muddled together with a splash of soda, topped with ice and bourbon, and garnished with an orange wheel and a cherry: 
 
 Photo provided by Vernick Food & Drink. Photo by Jason Varney. 
 
 Vernick Food & Drink in Philadelphia stirs a classic Old Fashioned with bonded bourbon, sugar and bitters. By definition, bonded bourbon must be produced in one distillation season from one distiller, aged in a federally bonded warehouse under U.S. government supervision for at least four years and bottled at 100 U.S. proof (50 percent alcohol by volume). Whew! 
 
 Rye 
 
 Rye is a grass in the wheat tribe and closely related to barley. 
 
 Rye. 
 
 "Rye whiskey" can refer either to American whiskey, which must be distilled from at least 51% rye and aged two years or more, or Canadian whisky, which may or may not actually include any rye in its production process. Full in body and spice, rye -- which had been playing second fiddle to its closest cousin, bourbon, ever since U.S. corn production increased in the decades following Prohibition -- has been making a steady comeback on cocktail menus across the country in the last decade. 
 
 How to drink it 
 
 Rye's bold, slightly burning bite cuts right through sweet mixers, making for intense beverages with layers of flavor. Here are a few drinks featuring the zesty spirit: 
 
 Photo provided by Jardiniere. 
 
 At Jardiniere in San Francisco, the Darkest Dawn is a tasty sipper made with rye, Barolo Chinato (a fortified wine), Nocino walnut liqueur and bitters. 
 
 Photo provided by Freemans. Photo by Daniel Krieger. 
 
 At Freemans in NYC, the Freemans Cocktail features rye whiskey, simple syrup, pomegranate molasses, lemon and house-made orange bitters. 
 
 Yet another classic cocktail that you're sure to come across is the Vieux Carré. Rye-based and named for the French Quarter in New Orleans, legend has it that the drink was invented at city's famed Carousel Bar in the 1930s. Traditionalists make theirs with rye, sweet vermouth, Benedictine (a gold-colored, sweet liqueur first produced by Benedictine monks in the 16th century), Angostura bitters and Peychaud's Bitters (a lighter, sweeter and more floral version of Angostura bitters created in New Orleans around 1830 by the Haitian apothecary Antoine Amédée Peychaud). 
 
 Photo provided by SMYC. 
 
 At SMYC, the Vieux Carre includes Hine VSOP cognac, Sazerac Rye, Carpano Antica vermouth and Benedictine. 
 
 For all the latest on food, drinks and restaurants, visit the Reserve blog and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
– When Adam Seger was brought on as head of restaurant operations at the storied Seelbach Hotel (now the Seelbach Hilton) in downtown Louisville, Ky., he announced that he'd stumbled upon the recipe of a pre-Prohibition drink that used to be the hotel's signature drink and that he tried it, he enjoyed it, and he was putting in back on the menu. But as the New York Times reports, the "rescued classic" that gained fast notoriety and established Seger as a brand name was in fact Seger's own creation, a "ruse" as the Louisville Courier-Journal calls it. Now Seger, who "carried this around" for 21 years, has decided to finally come clean. "I was nobody," says Seger, who left the hotel in 2001, is now 47, and recently helped open the Tuck Room in Manhattan. "I knew I could make a great drink. I wanted it to be this promotion for the hotel, and I felt the hotel needed a signature cocktail. How could you have a place that F. Scott Fitzgerald hung out in that doesn’t have a damn cocktail?" Everyone bought the story (even the historian known as Dr. Cocktail who wrote a book about vintage spirits) and loved the drink, which is made with bourbon, triple sec, bitters, sparkling wine, and garnished with an orange twist. Even the hotel is sticking with the drink as its signature cocktail, saying it's become a hotel tradition and "will remain part of its future." (This is Obama's cocktail of choice.)