The Old Fashioned is a classic cocktail from the mid-century era. It came to popularity in the early 1960s, largely attributed to the movie, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. However, many people were introduced to this beverage by the enigmatic Don Draper, as it was his cocktail of choice in Mad Men.
To this day, there is a lot of debate surrounding the way an Old Fashioned is made. Some people like fruit, some people like no fruit. Others like to use Bourbon, some people like Rye. Certain people add soda or water, while many others think that’s blasphemous.
We’ve tried many recipes over the years, but the one that we keep coming back to contains just four ingredients. Here’s how we make our Old Fashioned, we hope you enjoy it!
Our Old Fashioned Recipe
1. Place a sugar cube in an old fashioned glass. If you don’t have a sugar cube, a packet will work just as well.
2. Add a few dashes of Angostura bitters to the cube until it is fully saturated. Muddle the two together until you have a paste-like solution.
3. After you’ve muddled your ingredients, fill your old fashioned glass with 2 oz. of the bourbon or rye of your choice (our favorite right now is Four Roses).
4. Use a fruit peeler to take a generous chunk from the orange. Squeeze the peel into the glass to express the oils, rubbing the peel along the sides and rim before placing it in the glass.
5. Add a generous amount of ice and stir (a lot). It’s important to incorporate all of the ingredients here, as well as melt down some of the ice to help dilute the cocktail a bit.
And there you have it, our simple yet delicious take on the Old Fashioned! We hope you enjoy this recipe and if you liked the cocktail, please share it with a friend. Until the next Happy Hour, cheers… 🥃
