In the world of cocktails, the old-fashioned is the person who walks into a room and doesn’t need an introduction. They’ve been in the game for so long that everyone knows them. Everyone admires and respects them. As cocktail recipes pop up and disappear by the season, the old-fashioned remains. It represents everything a well-crafted cocktail should be: balanced. It’s simply the best, and you can have the best right in the comfort of your own home.
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! Let’s break it down a little bit, starting with the ingredients.
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Bourbon whiskey is the star of the show when it comes to the old-fashioned. It stands out front and center, which is why you want to choose a quality bourbon whiskey to use. No need to break the bank on a bottle; a $20 to $30 price range should do the trick. A few quality bottles of bourbon whiskey are Bulleit, Four Roses, 1792, and Elijah Craig Small Batch. Those are a few of my personal favorites.
Even though the bourbon whiskey steals the spotlight, the sugar and bitters are no slackers. They take the award for best supporting actors, and help tame the bite whiskey brings.
I recommend that the sugar used in the old-fashioned be in the form of a simple syrup (sugar dissolved in water). Simple syrup blends best when mixing cocktails because it’s already in liquid form. Some cocktail purists advocate for only using sugar cubes when making an old-fashioned, but I find it to be annoying having to muddle and stir a sugar cube until all the minuscule sugar crystals dissolve. A simple syrup is the easier, smarter choice.
Next up, bitters. If you’ve been reading this thinking, “What the heck are bitters?” then let me explain. Bitters are the salt and pepper of the cocktail world; that’s the best way to put it. They’re small alcoholic tinctures made with a blend of herbs and spices, and range in various flavors.
For an old-fashioned, Angostura bitters are the standard. They help to bind ingredients, enhance flavors, and round out the cocktail. We’ve all experienced a meal that was good but seemed to be missing something … perhaps a little salt? It’s the exact same with cocktails and bitters. Just like salt, though, a little bit goes a long way. Add too much of the bitters and you completely change the taste and flavor profile of the old-fashioned. You only need a couple dashes!
Building your old-fashioned
When mixing cocktails, the process generally falls into two camps: shaken or stirred. An old-fashioned is a stirred cocktail. For a general rule of thumb, if a cocktail contains only spirits, then you want to stir. If a cocktail contains juice, dairy, or egg white, then you shake it.
When building your old-fashioned, combine all of the ingredients into a mixing glass before adding the ice. I highly recommend using cubed ice from the grocery store or ice cubes formed from filtered water. Remember that the water that dilutes from your ice will be in your drink, so it matters!
Classic Old-Fashioned Cocktail
- 2 ounces bourbon whiskey
- 1/4 ounce simple syrup
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- Ice
- Orange peel, for garnish
1. Mix the cocktail: Place the bourbon, simple syrup, and Angostura bitters in a mixing glass. Add the ice and stir with a bar spoon for 10 to 15 seconds.
2. Strain the cocktail: Strain the cocktail into a rocks glass over one large ice cube, or cubed ice.
3. Garnish the cocktail: Pare an orange peel and express the oils from the back of the peel over the old fashioned. Rub the peel around the rim of the glass and drop the peel into the glass.
(Elliott Clark is a contributor to TheKitchn.com, a nationally known blog for people who love food and home cooking. Submit any comments or questions to [email protected].)