The Classic Rocks Drink is the Old Fashioned.
And of all classic drinks, the Old Fashioned is by far the most endangered. In my opening comments when I suggested that a good drink was as hard to find as a one-legged soccer player, this was the measure for that comment. For the most part it is sold as a watered down travesty. At heart it is a slightly sweetened shot of ice diluted whiskey. I think in the end it is too light for whiskey drinkers and too whiskey for others. And so it languishes. It is however a great drink for reflection - when you need space and time and, yes, whiskey. I've tried a 1000 ways to be clever with it but the Old Fashioned brooks no such attitude. So . . .

OLD FASHIONED
1 tbsp   simple syrup
2 dash   Angostura orange bitters
1 half    exotic orange
1           maraschino cherry
1.5 oz   Tangle Creek Canadian OR Bernheim's Wheat
splash   seltzer water

Muddle the first 3 gently in the bottom of an Old Fashioned rocks glass. Syrup works much better than granulated sugar, because in cold environment, the sugar will tend to precipitate back out.
Add the cherry and crush it gently with the muddler with one push only [think Hunt for Red October - 'one ping only'].
Pour in the whiskey. The Canadian will create a gente mouth feel as will the Bernheim's. The point here is that either Bourbon or rye will be too aggressive in the mouth against the soft cherry/orange.
Give a quick wrist flip's worth of selzer water and you are done.
Add two-three one inch ice cubes.
Swirl the glass as you drink.

A DASH & RUN VARIATION: substitute an orange brandy liqueur or a triple sec for the siimple syrup AND the orange, 1/2 oz will do. Muddle it with the cherry an bitters.

This drink changes as you drink it. One of the few that should. When done the final sweetness will shut down the palate and you will have your much needed closure.