Old Fashioned
Old Fashioned cocktail with cherry and orange peel garnish.
The Old Fashioned: A Drink That Actually Lives Up to the Hype
There's something about ordering an Old Fashioned that just feels right. Maybe it's the whole Don Draper effect, or maybe it's because this drink has been around since before your great-grandparents were hitting the bars. Either way, the Old Fashioned has earned its spot as one of the most iconic cocktails in history, and honestly, it deserves it.
The beauty of an Old Fashioned is in its simplicity. You've got whiskey, sugar, bitters, and a twist of citrus. That's it. No fancy syrups, no complicated techniques, just pure, straightforward flavor. But here's the thing - when a drink is this simple, every ingredient matters. You can't hide behind a bunch of mixers or flashy garnishes. What you taste is what you get.
The classic recipe calls for bourbon or rye whiskey, a sugar cube or simple syrup, a few dashes of Angostura bitters, and an orange peel. Some bartenders will muddle the orange with a cherry in the glass, but purists will tell you that's a bastardization of the original. I'm not here to judge - drink it how you like it - but the traditional approach keeps things clean and lets the whiskey shine.
Speaking of whiskey, your choice matters more than you'd think. Bourbon gives you a sweeter, smoother drink with vanilla and caramel notes. Rye brings a spicier, drier edge that cuts through the sugar nicely. I tend to lean toward rye because I like that bite, but if you're new to whiskey cocktails, bourbon might be more your speed.
The technique is where people either nail it or mess it up. You're not making a margarita here - you don't shake an Old Fashioned. You stir it. Gently. The goal is to chill and dilute the drink just enough without turning it into whiskey-flavored water. A good bartender will stir for about 30 seconds with a large ice cube or sphere, which melts slower and keeps your drink from getting watery too fast.
One of my favorite things about the Old Fashioned is how versatile it can be once you understand the basics. You can swap out the whiskey for other spirits - mezcal, rum, or even tequila - and create entirely different experiences while keeping the same structure. Some bars do seasonal variations with maple syrup or black walnut bitters. Just make sure you're not straying so far that you lose what makes the drink great in the first place.
If you're making this at home, invest in decent bitters and real sugar - not the packets from your local diner. The quality of your ingredients will make or break this drink. And please, for the love of everything good, use a proper rocks glass. You're not drinking this out of a red Solo cup.
The Old Fashioned isn't trying to be something it's not. It's not pretentious, it's not complicated, and it doesn't need to be Instagram-worthy to be worth your time. It's just a damn good drink that's been perfected over more than a century. Whether you're sipping one at a high-end cocktail bar or making it in your kitchen on a Tuesday night, it hits the same.
This is the kind of cocktail that grows with you. Your first one might seem a bit strong or too simple. But stick with it, try it with different whiskeys, maybe adjust the sugar ratio slightly, and you'll start to appreciate why this drink has outlasted countless trends and fads.
The Old Fashioned is proof that sometimes the best things don't need to be reinvented. They just need to be done right.
RECIPE:
1 sugar cube
3 dashes Angostura bitters
.50 ounces water
2 ounces bourbon or rye
Garnish: orange twist
Method:
Add the sugar, bitters and water into a mixing glass and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Fill the mixing glass with ice, add the bourbon, and stir until chilled.
Strain into a rocks glass over ice.
Squeeze the orange twist over the glass, then place it in the glass. (Add Cherry if you like)