Old Fashioned recipe

Strong, tasty, and elegant The Old Fashioned is a go-to for me and most other Bourbon lovers.

You can read more about the Old Fashioned in our dedicated Old Fashioned Article.

I was never a straight whiskey or bourbon man. I tried them straight early in my drinking career and they led to bad decisions and even badder hangovers (and even badderer English it seems like).

For years, I drank Whiskey and Bourbon with a mixer. I realise some people would consider this a crime, but I loved the taste and couldn’t get past that for the longest time. It was as if Bourbon and Coke was just perfectly attuned to my body.

Until I mixed my first Old Fashioned.

It’s a classic cocktail that’s withstood the test of time for a reason – you have to make it and you certainly have to try it.

Key Ingredients in an Old Fashioned

So what ingredients do we need to make an Old Fashioned? Let’s take a look a little more detail…

Bourbon or Rye Whiskey

The main ingredient to the Old Fashioned is Bourbon or Rye Whiskey – being a bourbon man, I always have a bottle in so I’m naturally inclined to use that. But a good Rye Whiskey will work well – just use whatever you prefer or you have in your liquor collection.

Angostura Bitters

Angostura Bitters give the cocktail a little pa-zazz or depth, depending on how you look at it.

But what is Angostura Bitters anyway?

Angostura bitters is a concentrated bitters (aka a herbal alcoholic preparation) based on gentian (a kind of clear liqueur), herbs, and spices.

It’s produced by the House of Angostura in Trinidad and Tobago and is called Angostura as it was created in the town of Angostura in Venezuela.

Typically, Angostura Bitters are used for flavouring beverages and also produce orange bitters to add to the alcoholic flavouring collection.

For Angostura Bitters, we recommend:

Sugar

Gimmie some of that sweet, sweet sugar! You can use regular sugar if you like, but it’s advisable to upgrade your sugar choice with Demerara sugar.

Or, if you’re like me and prefer an all together smoother experience (I sometimes think sugar in cocktails can get a little gritty) you can use a Simple syrup or better yet – Demerara Syrup.

Equipment Needed to Make an Old Fashioned

Mixing Glass

If you have a cocktail recipe that calls for the mix to be stirred, rather than shaken, then a Mixing Glass is the way to go.

Why? Because it’s easier to stir and pour the mix, by design. Also, it’s cooler.

For a Mixing Glass, we recommend:

Or if you don’t have a Mixing Glass, a Cocktail Shaker will do the job just fine.

Cocktail Shaker

Cocktail shakers improve the taste of cocktails. It’s a fact.

There’s a reason that famed British spy James Bond says “shaken, not stirred”. And that reason is: because it tastes better.

If you don’t already have a cocktail shaker set, you might want to check out our detailed Cocktail Shaker comparison article.

But to cut a long story short, here’s the cocktail shaker we recommend:

Bar Spoon

Bar Spoons are great for cocktails you’re suppose to stir, rather than shake in a cocktail shaker.

Sure, you can probably use any spoon to stir your drink but these bar spoons are the real deal. It’s the proper equipment to get the job right.

• They’re long enough to get to the bottom of any cocktail to allow you to properly stir.
• They have a twist spiral design that allows for a better grip.
• They’re made out of stainless steel, so they’re durable, corrosion resistant, and easy to clean.

Old Fashioned Glass

Old Fashioned Glasses give a cocktail a classic, retro, yet elegant look.

If you’re making an old school cocktail, then this is the glass you absolutely need.

For Old Fashioned Glasses, we recommend:

How to Make an Old Fashioned

Okay, now let’s get into our Old Fashioned Recipe.

Step 1

Add the Ice, Bourbon, Angostura Bitters, and Sugar (or syrup) to a Mixing Glass or Cocktail Shaker.

Step 2

Stir until the mix is well-chilled.

Step 3

Pour into an Old Fashioned Glass and garnish with an orange peel and cocktail cherry.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

It’s a good idea to adjust this Old Fashioned recipe to your taste, but it’s important not to overdo the sugar (or syrup). The sweetness of the bourbon should be enhance by the sugar, not overpower it.

Also, with a cocktail without much of a mixer it’s important not skimp out on the ice. More is better and trust me: you can taste the difference between a well-chilled Old Fashioned compared an under-chilled one.

Why is it called an Old Fashioned?

To discuss where the name of the drink comes from, is to understand the history of a cocktail itself.

The earliest recording of the word Cocktail appears in the May 13 1806 edition of the Balance and Columbian Repository. The Hudson, New York newspaper editor responds to the question: What is a Cocktail? His reply:

“A cock-tail, then, is a stimulating liquor composed of spirits of any kind—sugar, water, and bitters.”

At the time such a cocktail was used more for medicinal purposes and it was a morning drink. Yes, that’s right: a morning drink.

It was used to treat headaches, nausea and reading between the lines here, hangovers.

Whiskey was the most common alcoholic ingredient for the cocktail and so soon it became known simply as The Whiskey Cocktail.

So where does Old Fashioned come into things?

By the 1860s bartenders were experimenting with all kinds of ingredients. To the point where if you ordered one, you weren’t sure what kind of Old Fashioned recipe you’d actually get. It’d be different every time.

Customers were frustrated with this. They soon began to request their cocktail made the “Old Fashioned way”.

Over the years the name of the cocktail was shortened to simply An Old Fashioned.

Further Reading

• The Old Waldorf Astoria Bar Book by Albert Stevens Crockett.
• David Wondrich article by Theodora Sutcliffe @ Diffords Guide.
• The Pendennis Club.
• The Origin of the Margarita.
• The Origin of the Moscow Mule.
• The Old-Fashioned: The Story of the World’s First Classic Cocktail, with Recipes and Lore.
• Old Fashioned Bartender Wiki.
• The Origin of the Word Cocktail.
• The History of the Old Fashioned.