It may be old fashioned, but this cocktail remains timeless.
The Old Fashioned is one of the most classic whiskey cocktails out there. The Manhattan, Sidecar, Whiskey Sour, Sazerac, Whiskey Smash, Vieux Carré, and the Mint Julep have all earned their place in cocktail history, but the Old Fashioned just might be our favorite. It’s sweet and smooth with a spicy punch from the bitters, and most importantly, puts the bourbon on full display. It’s no wonder that this drink has survived almost 200 years of cocktail trends and innovations.
The invention of the Old Fashioned really dates back to the invention of cocktails themselves. In a May 1806 issue of the Hudson, New York “The Balance and Columbian Repository,” a reader asked for a definition of the word “cocktail.” The editor replied that the cocktail was a “potent concoction of spirits, bitters, water, and sugar.” That definition continued in print up until the 1860s when other liqueurs were added to the acceptable ingredients list. So when exactly did the Old Fashioned become the Old Fashioned? Well, depends on who you ask.
One of the more popular stories claims that the drink was invented in honor none other than, James E. Pepper. At the Pendennis Club in Louisville, KY around 1881, a bartender put together the ingredients so impress the Colonel. It must have worked because Pepper then claimed he brought the recipe to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel bar in New York City – a bar known for its cocktails including the rye whiskey Waldorf. From there, Pepper’s cocktail became a hip beverage for the times. Although that story has been heavily disputed, it’s certainly a nice whiskey woven tale.
Since the 1880s, the Old Fashioned has had its share of makeovers: Powdered sugar and pineapple after Prohibition, soda water and muddled cherries in the 1940s, and the list goes on. Finally by the 1960s, as vodka and canned beer began to take center stage, the whiskey and sugar cocktail truly became Old Fashioned. But that old cocktail is enjoying modern fame as the top selling cocktail internationally year after year.
So go ahead and call the Old Fashioned old if you like, but this is a timeless cocktail that can be enjoyed time after time.
Old Fashioned
Equipment
- 1 Mixing Glass
- 1 Muddler
- 1 Rocks Glass
Ingredients
Classic Old Fashioned
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Water
- 5 dashes Angostura Bitters
- 2 ounces Bourbon
- 1 twist Orange (garnish)
- 1 Maraschino Cherry (garnish)
Old Fashioned with Simple Syrup
- 2 ounces Bourbon
- 5 dashes Angostura Bitters
- 1 tsp Simple Syrup
- 1 twist Orange (garnish)
- 1 Maraschino Cherry (garnish)
Instructions
Classic Old Fashioned
- In a mixing glass, add 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of water, and 5 dashes of Angostura Bitters. Muddle and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Add ice to the mixing glass along with 2 ounces of Bourbon.
- Stir until well chilled.
- Add one large ice cube to a fresh rocks glass and strain the mixing glass ingredients into the glass.
- Twist one peel of fresh orange over the glass and then run the twist along the inside of the rocks glass. Drop the orange twist into the glass.
- Garnish with a Maraschino cherry in the bottom of the glass.
Old Fashioned with Simple Syrup
- In a Rocks glass, add 1 teaspoon of simple syrup, 5 dashes of Angostura Bitters, and 2 ounces of Bourbon.
- Stir gently and then add one large ice cube.
- Twist one peel of fresh orange over the glass and then run the twist along the inside of the rocks glass. Drop the orange twist into the glass.
- Garnish with a Maraschino cherry in the bottom of the glass.
