What Is an Old Fashioned?

Zach’s Old Fashioned. Photo by me.

Ahh, the Old Fashioned. A delightful blend of bitters, sugar, ice, and whisk(e)y, it is the paragon of both the built drink and the Cocktail.

The Old Fashioned was my first cocktail love, and the first cocktail for me that was more than just coke plus whatever alcohol I could splash in.

Drinking did not come naturally to me.

I wasn’t swirling wine around, letting it breathe, sinking my nose in for a deep inhale, tipping back just enough for a dribble and swishing it around to coat my mouth. You know, really savouring the flavour.

I was the guy holding a beer in one hand, and a Pepsi in the other. Going shot for shot.

As I got a little more seasoned, I learned to enjoy the flavours in beer, but that took a long, long, long time. And a lot of beer.

One holiday night I was imbibing on my brother-in-law’s family, famous Gin and Tonics and I watched my Grandma Jean pour her Glenmorangie into a crystal tumbler and I thought, “Wow, how classy is that…”

And, like any 21-year-old, having the appearance of class was of utmost importance. So, I asked her if I could try some and she responded with her “absolutely, darling!” and passed the glass to me.

Now, I think it’s important to elaborate a little on my brother-in-law’s G&Ts. He has this uncanny ability to add copious amounts of gin while making it taste like there is barely a splash. I’ve loomed over him many a time trying to learn his secret, but I think it’s just innate talent.

Anyway, it was late that night, and I was a few G&Ts deep, so I was feeling bold.

I didn’t like scotch. I knew I didn’t like scotch. Yet here I was, holding a glass full of this golden liquid fire, looking both lovely and intimidating. I revelled in that moment. Until I realized I had been standing there staring at it and my patient but thirsty Grandma wanted her scotch. So, I took a sip and…

BOOM!

An explosion of fire, smoke, darkness, disgust, fear, loathing and I was left reeling. My eyes were watery and my mouth tasted like I licked an ashtray.

My class melted into a puddle on the floor.

I still didn’t like scotch, but I liked that moment. It lingered in my mind, and as I drifted off into a juniper induced sleep, I decided I was going to like scotch.

So, I hatched a plan to train my pallet to enjoy the unique and challenging flavours of scotch.

Enter the Old Fashioned.

Origin

The Old Fashioned rose to popularity somewhere around 1880, with mentions in newspapers and magazines, and has remained relevant in the cocktail world ever since.

If you were someone who enjoyed a nice Cocktail (with a capital ‘C’ denoting the specific drink) some hundred years ago, you would have experienced a very interesting transition in your favourite tipple.

From its humble roots as simply spirits, sugar, waters, and bitters into what David Wondrich describes in his book Imbibe!

“…served it with a slice of lemon muddled up with some pulverized sugar, dashes of maraschino… shaken, well strained, and garnished with slices of banana and orange” (p.233)

That is a far cry from the Cocktail’s early incarnations (I echo Wondrich and think the drink sounds rather tasty, just not what I want when I order a (C)ocktail).

Then absinthe came onto the scene which added a whole other level of complexity and polarizing tastes.

None of these changes were bad, but the drink moved far and fast from where it started. And, as people are wont to do, they yearned for an older, simpler time. They started ordering their cocktails the old-fashioned way, which didn’t come with any of those fancy new syrups, or flavourings, or garnishes

And the rest is history.

Recipes

Alright, time to talk about why you’re really here, the recipes.

So, I figured where better to start than the classic recipe? And whenever you combine classic and cocktails, David Wondrich is the go-to.

Classic Old Fashioned (as found in David Wondrich’s “Imbibe!”)

• 1 Sugar Cube
• 1 tsp of Water
• 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
• 2 oz Whisky
• Lemon peel
• Ice

Instructions

1. Dissolve the sugar cube with a little water in a whisky glass
2. Add two dashes of Angostura bitters, ice, lemon peel, and the whisky
3. Mix with a small bar spoon and serve, leaving the spoon in the glass.

Beautifully simple.

Muddle some sugar, throw some bitters and ice in, top up with whisky, give it a little swirl, and you’re done.

What makes the Old Fashioned such an amazing drink is this simplicity. It benefits both the seasoned home bartender and the newcomer.

For the newcomer the ingredients are easy to find (even the large ice moulds have started becoming rather ubiquitous), the steps are easy to follow, and you get this delicious, evolving, complex cocktail.

And the seasoned home bartender, because of the few ingredients, can explore the myriad of subtle variations and fine-tune the drink to their tastes.

Here are Old Fashioned Recipes from two highly respected cocktail aficionados that show some of the nuances that a home bartender can play with.

Dave Arnold’s Old Fashioned (as found in “Liquid Intelligence”)

• 1 two Inch Ice Cube
• 3/8 of an ounce of Simple Syrup (1:1)
• 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
• 2 ounces of Bourbon or Rye
• Orange Twist

Instructions

1. Dave Arnold says to add ingredients from cheapest to most expensive, so if you muck up, you aren’t chucking your prized liquor into the sink. Good advice
2. Place two-inch cube into your whisky glass
3. Add syrup, bitters, and whisky. Mix well.
4. Twist orange peel over glass and rub along the rim before plopping into the glass

Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s Old Fashioned (as found in “The Bar Book”)

• 1 tsp/5ml of Simple Syrup (2:1)
• 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
• 2 ounces of Bourbon
• 1 large Ice Cube (for glass)
• Ice (for mixing)
• Orange peel

Instructions

1. Place the large ice cube in a whisky glass and put in the freezer to chill
2. Add all ingredients, except the orange peel, to a mixing glass
3. Add mixing ice to glass and stir
4. Strain over the large ice cube in the chilled whisky glass
5. Peel the orange over top of the glass to allow the expressed oils to enter the glass, then twist the peel and place in the glass

Variations

The three recipes above are delicious and you can’t go wrong with any of them.

But, if you want to craft a perfect Old Fashioned of your own, here are four levers you can play with:

• Simple syrup vs sugar cube
• Vhilled glass or no chilled glass
• Built in the glass or in the mixer
• Bitters.

Some of these may seem superfluous — chilled glass, I’m lookin at you — but they do make a difference.

Simple Syrup vs Sugar Cubes

Let’s start with the most controversial and, aside from bitters, the most influential flavour-wise: Simple Syrup or Sugar Cubes?

The sugar cube is the more authentic choice. Hands down.

If you are wanting to make your old fashioned as they did in the nineteenth century, cube is the way to go.

There is a common misconception that bartenders only used sugar cubes because they didn’t have syrup, and if they were to make Old Fashioneds now, they would always use syrup.

As we already talked about, they absolutely had syrup, and using a sugar cube was kind of the point of the drink. But sugar cubes do have some quirks.

Unless you want to spend half an hour muddling your sugar cube into submission, there will be some granules that won’t dissolve and just rest on the bottom of the glass. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Some people enjoy the evolution of the drink as the sugar dissolves and sweets the drink over time, it is just less consistent.

Enter simple syrup.

By virtue of being liquid, it mixes into other liquids incredibly well and creates a homogeneous blend.

You will have a more controlled sweetness at the cost of a less evolving drink.

This is why cocktail bars usually opt for simple syrup in their Old Fashioneds.

You get consistency which, when you are pumping out drink after drink, really counts (it’s also way quicker than muddling a sugar cube).

I prefer the sugar cube. I love the process of muddling the cube with the bitters and then pouring the spirit over top. But try it both ways and see which you prefer!

Chilled Glass or No Chilled Glass

Now, to chill the glass or not to chill the glass…

Glass takes forever to change temperature, and in cocktails, an un-chilled glass is essentially a heat sink. A room-temperature glass will zap all the chill from a drink and can leave you with a less than satisfying experience.

Whereas a chilled glass will keep the drink cool long enough to be thoroughly enjoyed.

This is why your paper planes and boulevardiers, drinks that should be consumed quickly, come in chilled coupes, not room temperature ones.

However, the Old Fashioned is a slow sipper served over ice and therefore doesn’t require a chilled glass.

But if you decide to go with a chilled glass, the dilution will happen slower and keep the drink’s harsh side for longer. You will also end up with condensation forming on the outside of the glass, which can be kind of ugly.

If you go with a room temperature glass, the ice will melt faster and dilute the drink.

I go with a room temperature glass, mostly because of the condensation and the fact that it’s easier to grab a glass from the cupboard than remembering to put one in the freezer an hour before you make your drink. Sometimes I throw the glass in the freezer while I make the drink to chill it a little.

Built in the Glass or the Tin

Next choice! Do you want to build and mix your Old Fashioned in the glass or the mixing tin?

Cocktails are so much more than just taste. Just like with food, you enjoy the meal better when your plate is artistically styled and presented, rather than just thrown together haphazardly. Using the mixing tin provides the best results for consistency and even mixing, but it loses out on the experience of mixing in the glass.

If you decide to mix in the glass you can either add the ice first or last. If you add ice first, you avoid any potential splashing mishaps and swirling the cube and ingredients all together looks lovely, but it is a smidge harder to mix the ingredients.

If you add ice last, you get the benefits of the mixing tin, but you just have to be careful when adding the ice. I usually add the ice last and mix in the glass. Best of both worlds.

Bitters

The last major variable is bitters. The market for bitters has exploded lately with a vast number of unique and interesting flavours.

The classic for the Old Fashioned is Angostura aromatic bitters, and their orange bitters are also popular, but the world is your oyster (there’s probably an oyster bitter).

Next time you are at your local liquor store take a look at the bitters selection and see if any flavour profiles jump out at you. The Old Fashioned is a great control for testing various bitters, and you can adjust them to match the flavour characteristics of your whisky.

Conclusion

I hope you have enjoyed reading this and learned a little something about one of the most iconic cocktails in the world.

I know cocktails can seem rather daunting at first, but at the end of the day it’s just mixing a few delicious things to make something even tastier, and the Old Fashioned is a prime example of that. It’s also a great foray into spirit-forward cocktails, and for expanding your palate.

So, take these recipes and make them your own.

Maybe you like it a touch sweeter, so you use two sugar cubes.

Or you want to try it with a flavoured syrup.

If you like smoke, you can try smoking the glass.

Maybe you have a rye that just begs for some cracked pepper over the top to finish it off.

Cocktails are all about trial and error, finding the right flavours and ratios, and at the end having a drink that you love. Keep a journal or log for those nights when you’re mucking around with random ingredients and come up with that perfect combination!

I’ll finish this off with the Old Fashioned I make for myself.

Zach’s Old Fashioned (Found in my head)

• 1 Sugar Cube
• 1 tsp of Water (Just a tiny splash to help the sugar dissolve)
• 1 dash of Angostura Aromatic Bitters
• 1 dash of Angostura Orange Bitters
• 2 oz Whisky
• Orange Peel
• Ice

Instructions

1. Muddle the Sugar Cube with the Water until it forms a slush
2. Add Aromatic and Orange Bitters, continue to muddle Sugar
3. Add Whisky and mix well
4. Peel an orange over the glass so the oils that get released during the peeling don’t go to waste. Lightly fold the peel so the pith (white part) is against pith, and press, expressing the oils over the glass. Then run the peel along the rim of the glass and drop into the drink.
5. Add the ice and enjoy

Happy drinkin!