The Old Fashioned

A classic whisky cocktail, and a personal favorite

The quality of an Old Fashioned is heavily dependent on the whisky. A whisky that you don’t care for is unlikely to make a particularly good Old Fashioned.

This trait also makes it an incredibly interesting cocktail. Different bourbons, ryes, and scotches in the drink can give you unique and delicious experiences.

Ingredients

  • My preferred option for a “top-shelf” Old Fashioned. Other good options include:

    • Woodford Reserve

    • Woodford Double Oaked

    • Buffalo Trace

    • Balcones Rye

  • I prefer somewhere between a quarter and half ounce of 2-to-1 simple syrup that I make myself.

  • Similar to the simple syrup, the number of dashes is up to personal preference.

  • Luxardo cherries are my personal favorite for cocktails. I use them for garnish, and generally mix some of the syrup from the jar into cocktails.

  • A thin slice of the orange peel to express the oil of over the cocktail.

Equipment

  • Nice, heavy glasses that can fit a large lump of ice

  • The perfect tool for mixing cocktails

  • A necessity of measuring ingredients by volume

  • A necessity for getting a twist of orange to finish the drink with

  • A useful tool when making cocktails quickly

  • A necessity when straining drinks from a mixing glass

  • A useful aid in presentation for both the cherry and twist of orange

 Recipe (Built in Glass)

  • A room temperature glass works well when building a drink in the glass (it speeds up the process of getting the right dilution for the drink)

  • The order here is deliberate for two reasons:

    1. It’s good practice to add ingredients from least to most expensive (in case you make a mistake)

    2. Adding the bourbon after the thick simple syrup helps you to wash out the remaining simple syrup from the jigger

  • The cherry can be reserved for later (if placing on a toothpick). I find a small dash/barspoon of the cherry juice to be a nice addition.

  • This should be enough time to both cool down the drink, and add enough dilution to the drink. If you taste the drink and it’s not quite diluted enough, you’re at a good point (the drink will continue to dilute itself as the ice cube melts)

  • The oils from the orange peel provide an excellent aroma for the drink

 Recipe (Mixing Glass)

  • The glass in this version can be chilled (if you prefer) since the dilution is coming largely from the mixing glass

  • Cracked ice or smaller ice cubes helps you chill the drink and get to the desired dilution more quickly

  • The order here is deliberate for two reasons:

    1. It’s good practice to add ingredients from least to most expensive (in case you make a mistake)

    2. Adding the bourbon after the thick simple syrup helps you to wash out the remaining simple syrup from the jigger

  • The cherry must be reserved in this step since the solution in the mixing glass will be strained.

  • The mixing time will be significantly lower than when building directly in the glass due to the increase in surface area of the ice

  • The reserved cherry and orange peel can be added as garnish to the drink