100 Best Old Fashioned Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What was in the original old fashioned? ›

“The Old-Fashioned was an evolution of the Whiskey co*cktail which was simply whiskey, sugar, bitters, and water, and was served as early as 1800 or so.” It wasn't until the 1870s and 1880s that when bartenders “began adding embellishments to their Whiskey co*cktails, some customers rebelled against the innovations,” as ...

I recommend a high-proof bourbon with bold flavor notes, so that its flavor will not be overpowered by the orange and bitters. Bitters: Angostura bitters are most commonly used in this co*cktail. I generally add about 3 to 4 shakes, but feel free to add as many as you prefer.

The Old Fashioned is arguably the most well-known whiskey co*cktail in the world. Essentially just a slug of bourbon that's been lightly sweetened with sugar and modified with a couple dashes of bitters, it's dead simple to make, but within this basic template is a world of opinions and flavor.

Old Fashioned Ingredients

Simple syrup: Use store-bought simple syrup or make your own at home. Water: A teaspoon of water helps bring out the flavor of the bourbon.

For the unfamiliar, the old fashioned co*cktail in just about every place other than Wisconsin is traditionally made with a whiskey, like bourbon, sugar and bitters. But in Wisconsin, brandy usually replaces whiskey — and it's most often poured over a mixture of muddled cherries, orange slices, sugar and bitters.

With countless riffs, the Old Fashioned is entirely customizable to your palate. However, at its core, the Old Fashioned is just bourbon or rye whiskey, a sugar cube, bitters and a lemon or orange peel for garnish.

The best old fashioned recipes call for sugar to balance the alcohol. I use simple syrup, which quickly dissolves and is simple to make. It also allows us to play around and use brown sugar instead of white sugar for the syrup, giving our co*cktail a caramel-like flavor that works well with whiskey or rum.

The classic Old Fashioned bourbon co*cktail gets an autumn-inspired upgrade with maple syrup and fresh squeezed orange juice. This is a Maple Old Fashioned without bitters and happens to be our favorite maple bourbon co*cktail.

If it's too strong (alcohol seems overpowering) stir it a bit more to get the ice melting and make sure everything is mixed. If it seems to bitter add a touch more sugar. Don't assume the drink is ruined if you don't love the first sip. Adjust a bit, try again, and trust your first instinct.

Should an Old Fashioned have a cherry? ›

Just so we're perfectly clear: There is no orange slice in an Old Fashioned. There is no cherry in an Old Fashioned. You do not mash up fruit of any kind in an Old Fashioned.

If you want to look like a local ordering an old fashioned in wisconsin, order it like this: “Can I have a brandy old fashioned sweet?” You'll ask it like a question because you're an uber-polite Wisconsinite, and you'll indicate your soda preference right in the order by adding “sweet”.

Making the best Old Fashioned at home is really easy. Simplicity is the name of the game here. Bourbon whiskey, a little sugar, and a dash of bitters, stirred up with quality ice and garnished with an orange peel — that's all there is to it!

Full list of ingredients for the classic Old Fashioned: Whiskey/bourbon. Orange, mandarin, clementine or orange juice (lemon can be substituted for oranges) Marashino cherries (if you don't have these, you can use blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc.

By 1915 or so, even the Old-Fashioned had begun changing; this is the version most people know today. Be very conservative with the water at the end. Muddle carefully in the bottom of an old fashioned glass the sugar, Angostura, one orange, one cherry, and a splash of soda.

The only other ingredients the drink requires—bitters and sugar—work together to enhance the spirit with a subtle sweetness. Over the years, the co*cktail has evolved to sometimes include an orange slice, club soda and/or a cherry, but they're not traditional to the drink.

Traditional is something that has been done a certain way for a long time. People do it over and over. For example, it is traditional to put a Christmas tree in our homes during December. Old-fashioned is something that used to be done a long time ago, but people don't do it anymore. For example, it is old-fashioned to ...

Both co*cktails call for whisky and Angostura bitters, but the defining factor lies in their sweetening agents. The Old Fashioned opts for straightforward sugar or syrup, helping to soften the whisky. In contrast the Manhattan favours a sweet vermouth – adding fruity and caramel flavours into the mix.

What was the first ever co*cktail? Accounts differ, but most experts agree that the first co*cktail was the Sazerac, a blend of whisky, absinthe, bitters and sugar. Created in New Orleans in the mid-1800s, this is one of the first co*cktails recognisable by name and remains a favourite to this day.