100 Best Old Fashioned Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Is an Old Fashioned better with simple syrup or sugar cube? ›

Use Rich Simple Syrup

The sugar cube is one Old Fashioned tradition that can definitely be skipped. While many recipes call for it, it offers no advantage over using a rich simple syrup and has several disadvantages. Most obviously, you have to find and buy sugar cubes and a muddler.

What is the best bourbon for making an Old Fashioned? If you're looking to make a delicious Old Fashioned co*cktail, some top choices for bourbon are the Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series, Jefferson's Tropics Aged in Humidity, and Larceny Straight Bourbon.

Mix the co*cktail: Place the bourbon, simple syrup, and Angostura bitters in a mixing glass. Add the ice and stir with a bar spoon for 10 to 15 seconds. Strain the co*cktail: Strain the co*cktail into a rocks glass over one large ice cube, or cubed ice.

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.

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.

Of all the additions to the Old Fashioned over the years, the orange peel has become the most welcome. However, it's also best not to add an entire orange slide and muddle it in the glass. Instead, use only a portion of the peel, shaved off the fruit with as little pith as possible, as your garnish.

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.

How to Make an Old Fashioned with Honey. Add the bitters, your choice of whiskey, and honey into a co*cktail shaker with ice. Stir well. No shaking needed!

I recommend a high-proof bourbon with bold flavor notes, so that its flavor will not be overpowered by the orange and bitters. Bitters: Angostura bitters are most commonly used in this co*cktail. I generally add about 3 to 4 shakes, but feel free to add as many as you prefer.

Sweet and strong with touches of citrus, the Old Fashioned never really gets old, especially when it's made with Maker's Mark^®.

Do bitters go bad? ›

How Long Do Bitters Last? While we hate to see a bottle of bitters collecting dust on your home bar they do last indefinitely. They are bottled at about 70 proof or 35% alcohol, so they are perfectly preserved. However, it is possible that the flavor will change over time.

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.

Purists might disagree, but it's okay to put a little fruit in your Old Fashioned. We're not advocating for turning it into a fruit co*cktail, but a little cherry garnish, as long as it's the right cherry, is perfectly fine. And the right cherry is the Luxardo cherry.

Some bartenders drop in a slice of orange or a cherry right before serving, and others will muddle the fruit into the drink; sometimes it's served with no fruit at all.

Whiskey: A classic old-fashioned co*cktail is traditionally made with bourbon or rye whiskey. I recommend a high-proof bourbon with bold flavor notes, so that its flavor will not be overpowered by the orange and bitters. Bitters: Angostura bitters are most commonly used in this co*cktail.

Essentially, the Old Fashioned truly is the Whiskey co*cktail. Rye whiskey was the most common in the 19th century and most likely used in the Whiskey co*cktails and Old Fashioned.

Old Overholt is always a good call, as are other standout brands like Baltimore-based Sagamore Spirit, High West from Utah, WhistlePig from Vermont, Milam & Greene from Texas, Tattersall's Bonded Rye from Wisconsin, Washington State's Wildwood Spirits Co.'s Rendition five-year rye, and Michter's from Kentucky.