Old Fashioned Cocktail

Oaky and sweet, with a hint of citrus on the finish, the whiskey Old Fashioned is truly a bourbon lover's drink. You only need a few ingredients to make this classic cocktail—sugar, bitters, bourbon, and a large ice cube—so you’ve really got to make them count. Read on for my top tips to make your Old Fashioned the best it can be:

How To Make An Old Fashioned Cocktail

INGREDIENTS

• Demerara Sugar: I went with a cube of demerara sugar (similar to turbinado sugar) because it’s less processed than white sugar and therefore maintains a hint of molasses that pairs well with the vanilla and caramel notes of the bourbon. If you don't have sugar cubes or want to skip the muddling step, you can swap the sugar cube for a bar spoon, or 1 tsp., of simple syrup.
• Angostura Bitters: Provides a hit of herby, spicy warmth that rounds out and completes the cocktail.
• Bourbon: The Old Fashioned was carefully designed to show off the complex flavors of good bourbon, so choose a bourbon you love or consult our bourbon guide for help finding a great bottle.
• Orange Peel & Maraschino Cherry: To finish off the drink, I like to garnish with a maraschino cherry and an orange peel, but feel free to omit them if you’re more of a purist.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

First the garnish: Use a vegetable peeler to remove few inches of peel from an orange, leaving as much of the bitter white pith behind as possible; set aside. You’ll be building this cocktail directly in the glass, so grab an old-fashioned (AKA rocks AKA lowball) glass and a muddler (the blunt object bartenders use to crush ingredients in a glass). If you don’t have a muddler, don’t sweat it; just use the handle of a wooden spoon. Combine the sugar cube, water, and bitter in the glass and muddle (i.e., crush) until the sugar is dissolved.

Add ice—a large cube works best—then pour the bourbon over. Stir briefly with a bar spoon—or failing that, a cocktail stick or teaspoon—to chill the drink.

Garnish with the reserved orange peel and a maraschino cherry.

Full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• Why is it called an Old Fashioned? As the story goes, as mixologists began getting more creative with their whiskey cocktails near the turn of the 19th century, bar patrons who were anti-innovation could order their drinks “old-fashioned,” meaning without any extra bells and whistles. To do the same, you’re going to want to use the best bourbon you can find. This is no time to use the random bottle of whiskey someone left at your house; instead, use one you’d be happy to drink straight after a long day.
• What’s the difference between an Old Fashioned and a Manhattan? While these two whiskey cocktails are very similar, they part ways at the sweetener. Whereas an Old Fashioned typically relies on straight sugar (in our case, a cube of demerara), a Manhattan relies on sweet vermouth.
• What’s the secret to the best Old Fashioned? Beyond using top-quality bourbon and bitters, there’s another ingredient that is critical to unlocking the potential of your Old Fashioned: the ice! I highly recommend using a single large cube, rather than multiple smaller cubes. The large cube has far less surface area, so it melts more slowly and doesn’t water down your drink the way smaller cubes do.