Old Fashioned Recipe: How to Make an Old Fashioned

The Old Fashioned is one of the oldest cocktails around. It is traditionally served in an old-fashioned glass, also known as a rocks glass, which predated the cocktail. Originally, an Old Fashioned cocktail was a standard cocktail created by combining an Angostura soaked  sugar cube, a bar spoon of soda water and bourbons.

The Old Fashioned cocktail was invented in 1889 at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky, a gentleman's club that still adheres to its original values of "civility, social grace, good manners, decency, and decorum". A bartender at this same club claimed to have invented the Old Fashioned recipe in honour of Colonel James E. Pepper, a major bourbon distiller who presented it to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel bar in New York City. The Old Fashioned drink then became one of the simpler and earlier cocktail versions, long before the development of advanced bartending techniques and recipes.  An Old Fashioned cocktail tastes sweeter than a Manhattan because of the spirit to sweet ratio present in one drink. It is best recommended to someone who enjoys their drink sweet but is also a mature drinker. It is a classic pick for men at the bar and is ranked as one of the greatest cocktails for men.

What are the ingredients for an Old Fashioned?

Listed below are the ingredients for an Old Fashioned cocktail.

• 1 cube of Angostura soaked sugar cube: Brown Demerara sugar cubes work well in an Old Fashioned cocktail. 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 cocktail.
• 1 bar spoon of soda water: For classic Old Fashioned cocktails, simple water components are used. Adding a teaspoon of soda water dilutes and adjusts the bitterness or sweetness of the drink.
• 60ml bourbons: Bourbon whiskey is a type of American whiskey that is produced from corn mash. Rye whiskey, on the other hand, has two types: American and Canadian rye whiskey. American rye whiskey is similar to bourbon whiskey but must be distilled from at least 51% rye grain. Canadian whiskey is often referred to as rye whiskey for historical reasons, but may or may not include any rye grain in its production process.

1. 1 cube of Angostura soaked sugar cube

Adding a teaspoon of sugar and a few dashes of bitters to an Old Fashioned is required to balance out the drink and impact its overall taste makeup. A teaspoon of sugar complements and enriches the spirit, bringing out its more savoury, sweet and subtle flavours. A teaspoon of sugar in an Old Fashioned cocktail has 16 calories. Angostura Aromatic Bitters, on the other hand, contain 44.7% alcohol by volume. One serving (2g) of Angostura Aromatic Bitters contains 12 calories. The best sugar cube to use is brown demerara sugar cubes.

2. 1 bar spoon of soda water

1 bar spoon of soda water added to the classic Old Fashioned drink will help dissolve the sugar cube. The bar spoon used is an essential bar tool for layering and mixing ingredients. Soda water does not contain any alcohol or calories.

3. 60ml Bourbon

It is necessary to add whiskey, such as bourbon, to an Old Fashioned cocktail drink because it creates a cooling, hot and prickly sensation when it comes into contact with the mouth. It has a pleasant roundness flavour that is mellow and gentle. Bourbon contains 40% alcohol by volume and 97 calories in a 1.5-ounce shot. There are many bourbon whiskey brands that can be used for Old Fashioned cocktails, but one of the best and most widely used by bartenders is Four Roses Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon.

How to make an Old Fashioned?

Preparing an Old Fashioned has never been easier thanks to this recipe, so don't miss it and make the most out of your cocktail!

1. Place the sugar cube on a napkin and soak with Angostura bitters.
2. Drop the soaked sugar cube into a rocks glass and muddle with one bar spoon of soda.
3. Fill the glass 3/4 of the way with cubed ice.
4. Add half the bourbon, stir until cold, then add the rest.
5. Garnish with an orange twist.

1. Place the sugar cube on a napkin and soak with Angostura bitters.

Place a sugar cube on a napkin and soak with Angostura Aromatic Bitters. It's also important to stick to 3 dashes of bitters because less won't produce the typical flavour. The sugar cube enriches the flavour of spirits and adds subtle flavour to it.

2. Drop the soaked sugar cube into a rocks glass and muddle with one bar spoon of soda.

Drop the soaked sugar cube into the bottom of a rocks glass. Stir in a bar spoon of soda until the sugar dissolves completely in the water and bitters. This is an important step because it will help bind the cocktail ingredients together and enhance the drink’s flavour. It's important to stick to 3 dashes of bitters here as well because less won't produce the typical flavour.

3. Fill the glass 3/4 of the way with cubed ice.

Fill the glass halfway with ice cubes. It is essential to use cubed ice cubes when preparing a cocktail drink. Ice cubes do not melt quickly, so drinkers can enjoy the original taste of the cocktail while it is being served in a perfectly chilled glass.

4. Add half the bourbon, stir until cold, then add the rest.

Add 2 ounces (60ml) of bourbon whiskey, measured out and thoroughly mixed. It is essential to add the appropriate amount of whiskey to an Old Fashioned cocktail because this can radically modify the flavour and offer a smooth, sweet flavour to the drink.

5. Garnish with an orange twist.

Garnish the drink with an orange peel. Cut off a piece of orange peel about 2 in (5.1 cm) long and twist the peel over the Old Fashioned to get the oils out. Make sure the orange peel isn't touching the rim of the rocks glass when you drop it into the drink. This step is necessary to follow as it will impart a bit of acidity into the drink and give it a little extra flavour.

What nutritional benefit can you get from drinking an Old Fashioned?

There are no nutritional benefits from drinking an Old Fashioned cocktail. An Old Fashioned cocktail contains 154 calories. It is made with sugar, bitters and whiskey that has 10.1g of net carbs, 0.1g of fat and 0.3g of protein.

What are the different variations of Old Fashioned?

There are multiple variations of the Old Fashioned cocktail which include Improved Whiskey Cocktail, Abuela’s Old-Fashioned, Brandy Old-Fashioned, Geneva Old-Fashioned, Absinthe Old-Fashioned, The Agave Cocktail, Young Laddie, The Bartender, Oaxaca Old-Fashioned, Montaya Old-fashioned, El Anticuado, Rum Old-Fashioned and Gold Fashioned. To variate an Old Fashioned cocktail, the bartender should change some of the ingredients and step-by-step processes. Ingredients to use in the variation of Old Fashioned cocktail drinks are Luxardo Cherry- Maraschino Cherry to add a little fruit to the Old Fashioned. Instead of twisting the orange peel straight into the cocktail, light a match and wave it next to an open flame, warming the orange peel over the rocks glass. Then immediately squeeze the peel so that the orange oil shoots through the match. Additionally, rather than using Angostura, Dutch’s Colonial Cocktail Bitters can be used. Some similar drinks to the Old Fashioned cocktail are Negroni, Sazerac, Manhattan, Mint Julep and Absolutely Negroni.