The Old Fashioned

  Posted on September 29, 2017  by Leslie Blythe  1 comment

Fall the Old Fashioned Way 🍂 🍁

Fall is a great time for classic cocktails—summer coolers are a thing of the past, winter warmers are around the corner and autumnal cocktails, like Rusty Nails and Rob Roys, are just right for the season. A great way to transition from tall summery drinks like a Gin & Tonic to straight up cocktails like a Manhattan is the iconic Old Fashioned. Served on the rocks in the glass that bears its name, the Old Fashioned is as old school as Don Draper and as hip as modern mixology. Basically, the Old Fashioned is a whiskey on the rocks, muddled with sugar and bitters, topped up with soda water and garnished with a maraschino cherry and a wedge of orange. Slightly sweet and bitter, the fruit makes a nice foil for the rich smokiness of the whiskey which is traditionally Bourbon, although I prefer using Rye. Depending on how sweet you like things, the last sip is always the best, with the dregs of bitters and sugar lurking at the bottom.

The Old Fashioned

Sugar
Bitters (Angostura, Peychaud’s, etc.)
Maraschino Cherries
Orange Slices (one half seedless orange cut into ¼-1/2 inch slices)
Whiskey (I use Bulleit Rye, but a good Bourbon like Maker’s Mark will do)
Ice
Club Soda

Put one teaspoon of sugar into a Double Old Fashioned Glass (a short tumbler for drinks “on the rocks”). Add 2-3 dashes of bitters and muddle with a spoon. Add ice cubes to the glass and a generous tot of whiskey. Add a maraschino cherry and an orange wedge. Using the spoon, gently mix all of the ingredients which allows the orange and cherry juices to mix with the spirits, sugar and bitters (some people truly macerate the fruit into the sugar/bitter mixture, but I think that it makes the drink too fruity). Top with a splash of soda and enjoy!