100 Best Old Fashioned Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the best alcohol to make an Old Fashioned with? ›

With that said, bourbon is often the go-to whiskey choice for an Old Fashioned. The relatively heavy body of the mostly corn-based spirit creates structure within the co*cktail, and its natural sweetness helps counterbalance the more astringent elements of bitters.

The classic way to make an Old Fashioned starts with placing a sugar cube at the bottom of a glass, adding a few dashes of bitters and a splash of water and muddling until it's completely dissolved. This is still a great option, but many people use simple syrup for ease and convenience.

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. Remove the orange rind and add Bourbon, ice, and soda or water. Garnish with a fresh orange slice and a cherry.

Widow Jane. When one thinks of bourbon whiskey, the first place that comes to mind isn't usually Brooklyn, New York. But that's where Widow Jane crafts their 10-year-old, 91-proof flagship bourbon. This bold and well-aged spirit is perfectly suited to do the heavy lifting in an Old Fashioned co*cktail.

I focused my tasting on American whiskeys, stressing a balance between familiar bottles and less-famous ones that are well worth space on your shelf, though there are any number of fantastic rye-forward Canadian whiskeys that make great Old Fashioned co*cktails, such as Crown Royal and Alberta Premium.

The classic recipe, according to most mixologists, calls for Brown Demerara sugar cubes. Sugar cubes are previously measured, allowing for consistent whiskey to bitters ratios. The Angostura aromatic bitters have a rich scent of fruits and spices and are a necessary component of any classic Old Fashioned co*cktail.

Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series, Jefferson's Tropics Aged in Humidity, and Larceny Straight Bourbon are among the best bourbons to make an old fashioned.

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 OLD FASHIONED - Angostura. “A thing of austere beauty: a lump of sugar, dissolved with a little water and two dashes of bitters, whiskey, a bit of ice and a lemon peel garnish.” Brad Thomas Parsons. Simple, and elegant, the Old Fashioned remains a classic in the co*cktail world.

Should I refrigerate bitters? ›

On average, bitters last around 5 years.

However, there's no need to refrigerate bitters. Even though there are organic compounds in bitters, the amount of alcohol acts as a natural sterilizer and preservation agent.

Consequently, some traditionalists insist an Old-Fashioned should be made with rye, but bourbon is equally correct and the choice of whiskey should be entirely up to the personal taste of the drinker. Bourbon makes a mellow, slightly sweeter drink, while rye adds more spice and kick.

“Dirty” because it involves the orange of an Old Fashioned as well as the cherry juice that is usually a ghost of a flavour from the cherry at the bottom of a Manhattan. These two elements combined add the sweetness of the drink and provide the “dirty” element, similar to the olive juice in a martini.

That's right, I used maple syrup instead of simple syrup. Historically, Old Fashioned co*cktails are made with a sugar cube or simple syrup. I'm here to tell you that they taste better with maple syrup, which complements bourbon's caramel notes and stirs in like a dream.

An Old Fashioned co*cktail is a rich complex blend of flavors, with a hint of sweetness, a trace of citrus and satisfying smooth finish. Add one or two cherries to an old old fashioned glass and lightly mash with a muddler.

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.

Reach for an aged rum or even gin. Or add a mix of tequila and mezcal. And use whichever bitters you have: Angostura, orange or otherwise. Needless to say, a rye old-fashioned and a rum old-fashioned taste quite different, but both work.

That's because the Brandy Old Fashioned is the (un)official co*cktail of Wisconsin. Nationally, Old Fashioneds are typically made with rye or bourbon whiskey, but the true Wisconsin Old Fashioned is made with brandy -- Korbel by tradition.