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.

With that said, bourbon is often the go-to whiskey choice for an Old Fashioned. The relatively heavy body of the mostly corn-based spirit creates structure within the co*cktail, and its natural sweetness helps counterbalance the more astringent elements of bitters.

The most popular of the in-vogue "old-fashioned" co*cktails were made with whiskey, according to a Chicago barman, quoted in the Chicago Daily Tribune in 1882, with rye being more popular than Bourbon. The recipe he describes is a similar combination of spirits, bitters, water, and sugar of seventy-six years earlier.

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.

An Old Fashioned calls for two to three dashes of bitters—no more, no less—that are added to the glass once the sugar or simple syrup is in. While the amount seems small, having too many or too few dashes can dramatically change the taste makeup of the drink. The type and quality of bitters matters too.

Best Overall Bourbon for an Old Fashioned: Old Grand Dad 114

Orange zest, cinnamon, and burnt sugar are the signature tasting notes of Old Grand Dad 114 Proof . A few drops of water and muddled sugar help dial down the heat to form a co*cktail as accessible as it is memorable.

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.

I have made some with a mix of orange and lemon peels and it came out great. I think I used 2 lemons for every 1 orange and it made one of the best Old Fashioneds I've ever had. Rich syrup with a demerara or even a straight molasses syrup is cheap and easy to make, and is fun a twist.

What's in an Old Fashioned vs Manhattan? ›

Both co*cktails call for whisky and Angostura bitters, but the defining factor lies in their sweetening agents. The Old Fashioned opts for straightforward sugar or syrup, helping to soften the whisky. In contrast the Manhattan favours a sweet vermouth – adding fruity and caramel flavours into the mix.

What was the first ever co*cktail? Accounts differ, but most experts agree that the first co*cktail was the Sazerac, a blend of whisky, absinthe, bitters and sugar. Created in New Orleans in the mid-1800s, this is one of the first co*cktails recognisable by name and remains a favourite to this day.

Just so we're perfectly clear: There is no orange slice in an Old Fashioned. There is no cherry in an Old Fashioned. You do not mash up fruit of any kind in an Old Fashioned.

Use sugar instead of syrup in hot drinks or co*cktails that require muddling. While simple syrup works well across the board, some co*cktails intentionally opt for sugar cubes as their first choice. Hot co*cktails — for example, coffee grog — can easily dissolve the cubes, so simple syrup isn't necessary.

Simple syrup is used to allow sugar to be evenly mixed throughout a drink, particularly one served cold, by pre-dissolving the granulated sugar in water ahead of time to avoid clumping. It's also one of the easiest ingredients to make yourself—if you can boil water, you can make simple syrup.

For spirit-forward drinks served in a rocks glass, like the Negroni or Old Fashioned, a single large block or sphere is ideal. For a tall drink like a highball or Tom Collins, or shorter drinks like a Tommy's Margarita, multiple smaller cubes work well.