Old Fashioned Recipe
Whisky, sugar, bitters and an orange peel. Nothing else.
The Old Fashioned is the simplest serious whisky cocktail. A small amount of sugar and bitters frames the whisky instead of hiding it, so the bottle you pick matters.
Ingredients
- 60 ml Bourbon or rye whisky
- 5 ml Sugar syrup 2 to 1 sugar to water
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 strip Orange peel For the garnish
Garnish: Orange peel
How to Make an Old Fashioned
- Add the sugar syrup and bitters to a rocks glass.
- Add the whisky and a handful of ice cubes.
- Stir for 20 to 25 seconds until the glass is cold.
- Strain over one large ice cube in a fresh rocks glass.
- Express the orange peel over the drink, rub it on the rim and drop it in.
Best Bottles for an Old Fashioned in India
Wheat sweetness suits sugar and bitters
Higher rye and 50.5% ABV for a spicier drink
Mellow and crowd-pleasing
The cheapest bourbon that still works
Indian single malt for a richer, fruitier Old Fashioned
Prices are the lowest listed India price and vary by state. Check each spirit page for the full state-wise table.
Tips for a Better Old Fashioned
- Use one large ice cube. It melts slowly and keeps the drink from turning watery.
- Express the orange peel over the glass before dropping it in. The oils are most of the aroma.
- If the drink tastes too boozy, add 5ml of water, not more sugar.
About the Old Fashioned
The Old Fashioned is the closest thing to the original cocktail. In 1806 a newspaper in Hudson, New York, The Balance and Columbian Repository, defined a "cock-tail" as spirits, sugar, water and bitters. That is still the whole recipe.
By the 1870s American bartenders were adding curaçao, absinthe and maraschino to almost everything, and drinkers began asking for a whiskey cocktail made the old-fashioned way. The name stuck. The Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky, is often credited with inventing the drink, but "old-fashioned cocktails" were mentioned in a Chicago newspaper in 1880, a year before the club was founded, so it more likely popularised the drink than created it.
It is the signature whiskey cocktail of the United States and one of the most ordered drinks in serious bars worldwide. It led the Drinks International ranking of best-selling classics for years until the Negroni overtook it in 2022. Bourbon makes it rounder and sweeter. Rye makes it drier and spicier.
Old Fashioned Variations
- Rye Old Fashioned: swap bourbon for rye for a drier, spicier drink.
- Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned: brandy instead of whisky, muddled orange and cherry, topped with lemon-lime soda or soda water.
- Oaxaca Old Fashioned: reposado tequila and a little mezcal with agave syrup, created by Phil Ward at Death & Co in New York.
- Rum Old Fashioned: an aged dark rum with demerara syrup and orange bitters.
- Masala Chai Old Fashioned: chai syrup in place of sugar syrup.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is in an Old Fashioned?
How strong is an Old Fashioned?
Is bourbon or rye better for an Old Fashioned?
Should you use a sugar cube or sugar syrup?
Do you muddle fruit in an Old Fashioned?
What is the difference between an Old Fashioned and a Manhattan?
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