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Cocktail History
The Old Fashioned is a classic whiskey cocktail that was created in the 1800s and first published in Modern American Drinks: How to Mix & Serve All Kinds of Cups, Cocktails, & Fancy Mixed Drinks by George Kappeler in 1895, making it one of the oldest cocktail recipes still made today. Several variations of the drink exist, but it is traditionally made with bourbon or rye, sugar, bitters, and citrus.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Bourbon: This is the base spirit. We went with Knob Creek 9 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon because it’s rich and full bodied with notes of smooth vanilla and caramel.
Demerara Syrup: This is a sweetener made with Demerara sugar and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s stovetop recipe.
Angostura Aromatic Bitters: This is a type of spirit infused with botanicals. They add more spice and complexity to the drink and tie the other flavors together.
Orange Bitters: This adds a bit of the citrus’s sweet flavor to balance out the other ingredients. We used Scrappy’s Bitters Orange Bitters because they offer the classic taste of bitter oranges, herbs, and spices.
Orange Peel: This is the garnish. It adds a bit of orange aroma and flavor when dropped into the drink.
Cherries: These are the garnish. We prefer Luxardo Maraschino cherries.
Tasting Notes
The Old Fashioned is rich, smooth, and balanced, and one sip feels like you’re loosening your tie after a long day.
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.
AuthorThe Essential Cocktail BookPrep Time5 minsAdd bourbon, Demerara syrup, bitters, and ice to a lowball glass.
Stir for 30-45 seconds.
Express orange peel into drink.
Drop orange peel into glass.
Garnish with cherries.
Ingredients
Directions
Add bourbon, Demerara syrup, bitters, and ice to a lowball glass.
Stir for 30-45 seconds.
Express orange peel into drink.
Drop orange peel into glass.
Garnish with cherries.
Tools & Glassware We Recommend
More Whiskey Cocktails
If you like this whiskey-based cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
• Stone Fence: A bourbon cocktail made with apple cider, Angostura Aromatic bitters, and mint
• Falling Leaves: A rye cocktail made with Amaro Montenegro, toasted fig syrup, chocolate bitters, and an orange slice
• Mountain Man: A bourbon cocktail made with lemon juice, peach liqueur, ginger syrup, maple syrup, and candied ginger
• Boo Radley: A bourbon cocktail made with Cynar, cherry liqueur, a lemon peel, and an orange peel
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