A History of Cocktails: The Old Fashioned

The Old Fashioned – The Beginnings

Neither America’s, nor the world’s first cocktail, The Old Fashioned is often associated as such, but this cocktail is one that is near perfect in its ingredients and the basis for a ton of foundational cocktails. The world’s first cocktail would beloved to be, the Sazerac. More of that history will be discussed in another article. While the Old Fashioned and the Sazerac share incredible similarities. Both cocktails consist of three main ingredients and have been the foundation for almost all of mixology, these ingredients are as follows: A spirit, A bitter, and something sweet. Using these rules mixologists have found incredible ways to achieve balance when it comes to the drinks we love today. The spirit in an old fashioned that we have come to know is of course an American icon; Bourbon. Originally the recipe that most cocktail historians have come to consider the holy grail of mixology (Jerry Thomas’ Bartender’s Guide: How to mix drinks) called for Gin as the base spirit instead of whiskey. The change to bourbon and the more modern old fashioned that we know today is said to be started in Louisville KY at the Pendennis Club, then later made more famous at the New York Waldorf-Astoria both times coming from bartender James E. Pepper.

Tasting Notes

Unlike the foundational American cocktail, the Sazerac, which typically uses rye whiskey, The Old Fashioned calls for the sweeter notes that American Bourbons tend to have. Rye tends to have a more aromatic quality and often sharp, peppery notes to the liquor. The bitters used in and Old Fashioned are typically of the aromatic quality as well as adding, no surprises here, a bitterness. Angostura is the most famous and most used brand of bitters in the world. Although if you were to enjoy an old fashioned today I would highly suggest mixing up your bitters and trying different combinations. A few of my personal favorites in no particular order are: Black Walnut, Grapefruit, Cardamom, Rhubarb, and Peychaud’s bitters. Of course the final two ‘flavors’ at play in the old fashioned are key in almost any cocktail, dilution and sweetness. Dilution is one of the most under appreciated part of any cocktail. This calms the drink down, taking that bite from the alcohol away and making the cocktail much more drinkable than a straight spirit. The sweet does the same thing except can enhance the other flavors in a cocktail that would otherwise sit in the background. The old fashioned has and will continue to be one of the most well balanced cocktails out there. Its tastes will range from highly aromatic, nutty, spice forward, dry, and everywhere in-between. This is all of course down how you prepare it. The traditional old fashioned should have a nice spirit forward flavor, that is of course making sure that whatever bourbon you use is the star in your glass, it will then have notes of aromatic spice that the bitters bring, and a smooth silky finish that the sugar and dilution from your ice will provide.

Ingredients

• 2oz American Bourbon
• 3-4 dashes of Angostura bitters
• 1 sugar cube or 0.25oz of a rich syrup (Demerara)
• Orange Peel to garnish

Steps

1. In a mixing glass add 0.25oz of a rich syrup or muddle one sugar cube
2. Grab your angostura bitters and give it 3-4 hearty dashes into the glass
3. Measure and pour 2oz of your favorite American Bourbon Tip: I recommend using something higher proof if you want to help keep the integrity of the whisky alive in the glass. 90-100 proof is always a good choice when mixing
4. Fill your mixing glass with ice and stir for around 20 seconds
5. Strain your drink into a double rocks glass over a large cube of ice or a sphere of ice
6. Peel and express the oils of and orange into the glass as well as around the rim and sides of the glass
7. As always the final step is to enjoy responsibly