The old fashioned explained
The old fashioned is close to the earliest written definition of a cocktail. It is also the easiest one to get slightly wrong. Here is what each part does and how to make it well.
It is the original cocktail recipe
In 1806 a newspaper in Hudson, New York, printed a definition of the word cocktail: spirit, sugar, water and bitters. That is an old fashioned. Through the 1800s bartenders began adding liqueurs, absinthe and fruit to their whisky cocktails. Drinkers who wanted the plain version started asking for one made the old-fashioned way. The name stuck.
So the drink is less a recipe than a method for showing off a whisky. Sugar rounds it, bitters season it and water opens it. Nothing else gets in the way.
Four ingredients, each with one job
A classic spec is 60 ml of whisky, one sugar cube or 5 ml of rich sugar syrup (two parts sugar to one of water), two dashes of Angostura bitters and a strip of orange peel.
- Whisky. Bourbon gives a rounder, vanilla-led drink. Rye gives a drier, spicier one. Both are traditional.
- Sugar. Enough to soften the alcohol, never enough to taste sweet.
- Bitters. They work like salt in cooking: a few drops make everything else taste more like itself.
- Water. Most of it comes from the ice as you stir.
Stir it, never shake it
Put the sugar and bitters in a mixing glass (if you use a cube, crush it with a few drops of water first). Add the whisky and plenty of ice. Stir for 20 to 30 seconds. A good stir adds roughly a fifth of the drink's volume as water and takes it close to 0 °C. Strain it over one large cube in a chilled rocks glass.
Shaking would chill it faster but cloud it with tiny bubbles and over-dilute it. The old fashioned should be clear and silky. You can also build it straight in the glass and stir there, which is how most bars do it.
The ice is part of the recipe
An old fashioned sits on its ice for the whole time you drink it, so the ice keeps diluting it from the first sip to the last. That is why bars use a single large cube. It melts slowly, so the drink drifts gently from strong to softer instead of turning watery within ten minutes.
Make the cube from filtered or packaged drinking water. Any off taste in the ice ends up in a drink that has nowhere to hide it. A silicone mould for 5 cm cubes costs very little and lasts for years. Keep a few in a sealed box in the freezer so they do not pick up smells.
Bitters are worth exploring
Angostura is the classic aromatic bitters, with clove, cinnamon and gentian notes. It is concentrated. A dash is a few drops, less than a millilitre, yet two dashes season a whole drink. Orange bitters give a brighter, citrus-led old fashioned. Mixing one dash of each is a common bar trick.
Bitters keep for years because they are high in alcohol, so one bottle goes a long way. They are seasoning, though, not a flavour of their own. If you can taste the bitters first, you used too much.
The garnish is an ingredient
Cut a wide strip of orange peel with little white pith. Twist it over the glass, skin side down, so the oils spray across the surface. Then drop it in or rest it on the rim. Those oils are the first thing you smell, so they shape the whole drink.
Mid-century bars often muddled a cherry and an orange slice into the glass and topped it with soda. That drink has its fans. It is a different drink, though. It buries the whisky.
Making it with Indian whisky
Many Indian blends are lighter and a touch sweeter than bourbon, so cut the sugar back. Start at half the syrup and taste. An Indian single malt matured in ex-bourbon casks makes an excellent version; see our guide to malt, grain and blended whisky if the labels confuse you. A syrup made from jaggery instead of white sugar adds a pleasant molasses note.
Remember what is in the glass. The whole 60 ml is spirit, the same as a large peg, with no mixer to stretch it. Sip it slowly, keep water on the table and never drive after one.
Build one this week
The best way to understand the drink is to taste it in pieces. Pour 15 ml of your whisky neat and taste it. Then make the full old fashioned with the same whisky and taste again. Note what the bitters added and what the sugar took away.
Next time, change one thing only: rye instead of bourbon, or a different bitters. Writing down what changed is how bartenders train their palates. It works at home too.
Common questions
Should an old fashioned be made with bourbon or rye?
Either is traditional. Bourbon makes a rounder, sweeter drink and rye a drier, spicier one.
Sugar cube or syrup?
Syrup dissolves instantly and is easier to measure. A cube is traditional but needs crushing with a little water so it dissolves properly.
Can I make an old fashioned with Scotch?
Yes. A smooth blended Scotch works well. A lightly peated one makes a smoky version. Adjust the sugar to taste.
