Cocktail family · 6 riffs
Old Fashioned Variations
The Old Fashioned is the simplest test of a good bar. It’s barely a recipe: whiskey, a little sugar, bitters, and enough stirring to take the edge off. Bourbon is the usual choice, and rye is just as correct. With so little in the glass, every riff below changes one thing, like the syrup, the bitters or a bit of smoke, and you can taste exactly what it did.
The classic spec · IBA
Old Fashioned
- Glass
- Old fashioned glass
- Method
- Stirred
Ingredients
- 1½ oz (45 ml) bourbon or rye whiskey
- 1 sugar cube
- A few dashes Angostura bitters
- A few dashes plain water
Steps
- Place the sugar cube in an old fashioned glass and saturate it with the bitters.
- Add a few dashes of plain water and muddle until the sugar dissolves.
- Fill the glass with ice cubes and add the whiskey.
- Stir gently, then garnish with an orange slice or zest and a cocktail cherry.
The full Old Fashioned recipe: why it works, swaps and questions →
