The martini thread has been so much fun I thought we might like a similar one for old fashioneds.
I like a pretty simple one, a finger of water, a scant teaspoon of turbinado, a couple of shakes of Angostura bitters, a Luxardo cherry, ice, and whiskey. I like them with rye or with bourbon. My son in law works at Milam and Green, and I am quite partial to his barrel proof Port finished rye, but Old Overholt is fine, too. Going bourbon the house bourbon here is Evan Williams BIB, but we also love OGD BIB (and a zillion others). Knob Creekās 9 YO bourbon is a very classic choice, and their rye is pretty nice, too, but not a super spicy one.
How about you? Is it a macerated fruit concoction enveloping the whiskey? Got a favorite whiskey?
Donāt really do āOld fashionedsā as I prefer Manhattans (rye). Favorite whiskeys are Whistlepig Straight and Knob Creek Cask Strengthā¦ but for a fraction of the price Bulliet 95 is exceptionally good.
I hate Luxardos as I find them syrupy mush. My fav (but sometimes hard to find) are Tillen Farms Merry Maraschino Cherries.
Angostura is a classic (and often used), but Fee Brothers Cherry is prob my fav.
Made many ( x 1,000ās), ācorporate manualā recipe probably not correct in todayās cocktail-centric culture.
Rockās glass.
Cube of bar sugar (white)
Ā½ orange slice
Marachino cherry
2 glugs of Angostura
2 punches of soda gun
Muddle. (that was the fun part)
Pack rocks glass with ice.
Top with well bourbon.
Garnish with Marachino and half slice orange.
Best I can recall, Old Grandad. None of the drama and showmanship of todayās bars. When the crowd was 3 deep at HH at a 25 seat oval bar + cocktail loung, its head down in the ice bin and crank 'em out.
I donāt like brown liquor much, and yet somehow this is my drink for a chunk of the year
My favorite version is probably the first I had (at Gramercy Tavern). A luxardo cherry muddled with a brown sugar cube, bourbon, Angostura bitters, big ice cube, twist of orange around the rim.
But for home consumption (usually at friendsā) I like varying the sweet component. Iāve made a ginger and turbinado syrup for winter, or a spiced syrup with cardamom and scant clove Variation on the bitters ā I like both cardamom and orange. Always bourbon, though, never rye. Bourbon is whatās in stock at the moment.
One of my favorite outcomes was when I picked up Canadian Maple Bourbon specifically because I thought theyād make a great old fashioned ā no additional sweetness required, and the bottle was done much faster than anyone anticipated (or Iād have bought two)
I prefer a rye old fashioned. Old Forester or Redemption for high rye, Rittenhouse for less rye flavor.
1 sugar cube, preferably brown
Angostura bitter
Bitterman irange citrate bitters
Splash sparkling water
Muddle above until sugar is half dissolved
Add rocks. Pour 2 oz rye. Stir some. Garnish with lemon and orange peel. Leave the cherries for manhattans. I like to leave some of the sugar undissolved. Tip i picked up from Leandro on Educated Barfly
I have also used high end rye like peerless but then i used a bit of home made young ginger leaf simple syrup and skipped the cube. This was inspired by a peerless rye old fashioned with spruce simple I had at barn 8 in Goshen KY. I have not made one with Willett 4 year.
Neither have I ! As a matter of fact, I canāt recall if Iāve ever even had one. Iāll put it on my list of things to do when the pandemic is really over. I have a long list, and Iām old, so ā¦
When you do, the suggestion of not fully dissolving the sugar is terrific, The last grains of sugar, drops of whiskey and bitters with ice melt is dessert!
Leandro on the Educated Barfly thinks that as you drink, more and more of the sugar dissolves so the drink evolves with more sugar and more melt from the rocks. His channel is a great source.
Same. Old Fashioneds are too sweet for me - maybe if I could get one made with 1/8th of a sugar cube Iād be into it! (I also have my Manhattans made with about half the normal amount of vermouth, and will happily drink rye neat.)
I usually drink Manhattans. I had my first Old Fashioned several months ago. There were many more.
Maple syrup aged in bourbon barrels
Angostura bitters
Evan Williams
Orange twist
My partners preferred old fashioned is mixed in a rocks glass with a single big ice cube. 2 oz Sonoma Distillery single Barrel Reserve Bourbon, 1 scant bar spoon of 2:1 simple syrup, 3 dashes Angostura and and orange twist. If Iām being fancy Iāll torch the orange oil from the twist.
Her Manhattan: 2 oz. Sonoma Distillery Cherrywood cask strength rye, 1 oz Grassotti di Torino Vermouth (though sheās fine with Martini and Rossi sweet), 3 dashes angostura and an orange or (if handy) grapefruit twist.
No cherries. Ever.
For the whiskies, most any thing decent will do. The various Knobs Creek, Whistles Pig, or Bulliets are all acceptable.
Whistle pig also makes a pre-bottled āOrange Fashionedā that she liked very much, and Bulleitās pre-bottled Manhattan has also earned her thumbs up.
