The Old Fashioned is a reference to the Bittered Sling, a concoction of spirit, water, bitter & sugar, which was the ancestor of cocktails. After the emergence of more complex mixed drinks, some people started asking again for beverages to be made the old-fashioned way and that’s how it came to life. With the years, it has been made official that an Old Fashioned is made using bourbon or rye whiskey, bitters, a sugar cube & a few drops of water. There’s a lot of debate on the type of whiskey, the flavour of bitters & whether to put granulated sugar or simple syrup, but the most controversial aspect is concerning the garnishes. Some like to have an orange peel, while others prefer lemon or both. Then again, occasionally, an Old Fashioned might be served with some maraschino cherries, muddled oranges & various fruits.
Personally, I enjoy Old Fashioned with a high-rye Bourbon & an orange or lemon peel. I appreciate simple syrup but I’m fonder of sugar cubes. As a digestif, I will often substitute sugar for maple syrup, although, like other alternatives, this does change the drink and shouldn’t be called an Old Fashioned. My favourite vessel is the one which was named after the cocktail, i.e., the Old-Fashioned glass. However, any short tumblers will suffice.
Cocktail Portrait
Category: The Classics/Ancestral
Difficulty: Easy
ABV: Medium-Strong (25-35%)
The History
Even if it’s one of the first cocktails ever to be created, the Old Fashioned doesn’t have as much an obscure background as other classics. Its origin goes back to the beginning of the 1800s with the ancestors of cocktails: Bittered Slings, a mixture of spirit, water, sugar & bitters, like mentioned before. These were commonly made in order to make hard liquor palatable. As time went by, alcohol products slowly became more refined, allowing more versatility when mixing drinks. With the demand came new sorts of spirits & liqueurs, so the variety also improved. Around 1880, a few individuals started to request beverages made the old-fashioned way, in reference to the Bittered Slings. The term caught on and the recipe barely changed since then. Even nowadays, a classic Old Fashioned is made with the same ingredients as it was a century ago. The first recorded use of the name Old Fashioned was in 1881 in Louisville, Kentucky and recently, in 2015, the cocktail was made the official one for the city.
The Recipe
Basic Tools:
Short Tumbler glass
Stirring spoon
Big ice cube
Peeler
My usual recipe:
2 oz High-Rye Bourbon
1 Sugar Cube (or 1/2 oz Maple Syrup)
3-4 dashes Angostura Bitters
The IBA recipe:
1.5 oz Bourbon or Rye Whiskey
1 Sugar Cube
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
A few dashes water
A well-known recipe with simple syrup:
2 oz Bourbon
2 teaspoon Simple Syrup
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Changing the ratios can be fun in order to play with the strength of the drink or on where it stands in the sweet to bitter spectrum. It is possible to go with a different kind of spirit, so a Rum Old Fashioned, would have mostly the same ratios but the whiskey would obviously be replaced by rum. American Trilogy is also a quite similar drink and uses brown sugar, Orange Bitters & 1 oz each of Applejack & Rye Whiskey.
As mentioned earlier, a lot of people play with the garnishes and include a myriad of fruits instead of the classic orange peel. In some bars & restaurants, it’s even mandatory to add a Maraschino Cherry. It’s fine to drink what you like, but these shouldn’t always be referred to as an Old Fashioned, since it may diverge a lot from the original cocktail. However, a general rule of thumb is to use an orange peel with Bourbon and a lemon peel with Rye Whiskey.
The Ingredients
Whiskey
You can make a mean drink with any type of whisk(e)y, but the classic Old Fashioned is made using either Bourbon or Rye Whiskey, both widely available in North America. Bourbons make for a slightly sweeter profile, so you might want to drop the sugar first & then slowly add more to your liking. On the other hand, Rye whiskey is spicier, so it brings a distinct dimension to the cocktail & plays really nice with Angostura. Because it’s a spirit forward type of cocktail, if you want to up your Old Fashioned game, you simply have to choose a higher quality whiskey or one that you already like. In Bourbon there is also a range of offers depending on the mash bill. On one side of it, there is Wheated Bourbon which is generally sweeter & softer with a pleasant cereal, mineral & greenish profile. At the opposing extremity, there are High-Rye Bourbons which are spicy, fruity & often much more aromatic. Other than the mash bill, the alcohol content of the spirit must be taken into account. High-proof whiskeys tend to stand up nicely in cocktails, due to more pronounced flavours. While it is fun to explore all the nuances that can be brought only by changing the whiskey, a safe bet, would be to either go for a Rye Whiskey at 45% (90 proof), or a wheated Bourbon over 50% (100 proof). If the alcohol is too strong at first, don’t worry too much, because dilution will soften it to about 30-35% (60-70 proof).
Bitters
Angostura Bitters is the recommended type in order to make a classic Old Fashioned. However, using Orange Bitters is quite common & not too frowned upon. If making some cocktails for others, I highly suggest sticking to Angostura, but if you’re the one drinking, don’t hesitate to have fun playing with various bitters in order to explore all the possibilities. In the recent years, plenty of creative & innovative Bitters have emerged on the market, allowing mixologists to discover new realms of flavours. Alternatives to Angostura would be Fee Brothers’ Old Fashion Aromatic Bitters or even cherry, lemon or peach-flavoured bitters to bring a certain fruitiness to the cocktail.
Sugar
As mentioned earlier there are two main philosophies on this matter: Sugar cubes or simple syrup. First, the sugar cube adds a complexity because it allows for the cocktail to evolve as it dilutes. It dissolves more slowly in the water available and the drink becomes sweeter as time goes by with the last sip giving a kick & quite often tempting you in ordering another glass. The remaining undissolved sugar will add a grainy texture to the cocktail that some find rather pleasant. But then, the simple syrup allows for a constant sweetness throughout the drink. It is also quicker to make & gives a silkier, smoother mouthfeel. There are plenty options in order to get creative by using different types of sugar, like Demerara or Brown sugar to add molasse as part of the cocktail profile or then again with Coconut sugar to give a toasty aroma. Substituting the simple syrup for maple, agave or honey is also an easy way to change the flavours normally found in an Old Fashioned.
Water
When made the official way, plain water is suggested in order to muddled & dissolve the sugar cube. If it’s made with simple syrup, the water will be in the syrup. There’s really not much to say concerning this ingredient other than to use either distilled or filtered water. Tap water may be fine, but often the minerals present in local sources may change drastically, affecting the flavours of the cocktail. Soda water is often used as well. The effervescence in it, as well as in seltzer or sparkling water in general, helps to dissolve the sugar cube faster & more equally. It's important to keep in mind that the same idea of mineral content is in play, no matter the source of water. However, sparkling water often have an added acidity which can influence the ending result.
The Mixing
This is a cocktail that lives or dies depending on who makes it. It requires proper stirring technique in order to achieve a cold enough temperature & a perfect dilution. First thing is to add the sugar cube in the glass and pour the Bitters over it to let it absorb the liquid. Then muddle it until it’s fairly thick but still has a grainy texture. If you want to substitute for simple syrup, add it before or after the Bitters. Next, pour the whiskey into the mixture & deposit a big ice cube so that it only leaves a little space for the stirring spoon. The stirring technique is simple but requires a bit of practice, start by swirling around the ice cube until the sides of the glass show some frosting. If your using quality ice, meaning without too much particles & not too small, overdiluting shouldn’t be a worry since the liquid is going to drop below freezing point & the ice will then stop melting. Once properly stirred, make an orange peel, squeeze in on top of the glass to release essential oils, which will perfume the cocktail, and rub it against the outwards of the glass near the lip. This will add an extra layer of citrus aromas to complement the drink. Finally, drop the peel in the liquid & enjoy.
3-word Description
Whiskey, Sweet & Spicy.
The Reference
thewhiskeywash.com
Simonson, R., The Old-Fashioned: The Story of the World’s First Classic Cocktail, with Recipes and Lore, May 13, 2014.
Schmid, Albert W. A., The Old Fashioned: An Essential Guide to the Original Whiskey Cocktail, 2012.
Photo from Mathew MacQuarrie
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