100 Best Old Fashioned Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Do you use simple syrup or sugar cube for Old Fashioned? ›

The classic way to make an Old Fashioned starts with placing a sugar cube at the bottom of a glass, adding a few dashes of bitters and a splash of water and muddling until it's completely dissolved. This is still a great option, but many people use simple syrup for ease and convenience.

DO NOT shake an Old Fashioned, always stir it. This has nothing to do with temperature but everything to do with texture. Shaking it will add air and water, diluting the co*cktail too quickly. Since the drink is primarily spirit, all you have to do is gently stir with ice, allowing for a smooth, velvety texture.

With bitters, a little bit goes a long way. Two or three drops will add much depth to your Old Fashioned.

The classic recipe, according to most mixologists, calls for Brown Demerara sugar cubes. Sugar cubes are previously measured, allowing for consistent whiskey to bitters ratios. The Angostura aromatic bitters have a rich scent of fruits and spices and are a necessary component of any classic Old Fashioned co*cktail.

I focused my tasting on American whiskeys, stressing a balance between familiar bottles and less-famous ones that are well worth space on your shelf, though there are any number of fantastic rye-forward Canadian whiskeys that make great Old Fashioned co*cktails, such as Crown Royal and Alberta Premium.

If it's a bit too sweet try another dash or two of bitters. Taste again. If it's too strong (alcohol seems overpowering) stir it a bit more to get the ice melting and make sure everything is mixed. If it seems to bitter add a touch more sugar.

With that said, bourbon is often the go-to whiskey choice for an Old Fashioned. The relatively heavy body of the mostly corn-based spirit creates structure within the co*cktail, and its natural sweetness helps counterbalance the more astringent elements of bitters.

If you want a more sweet Old Fashioned, ask for less bitters in your drink. Typical Old Fashioneds don't have much more than a splash of bitters in them. However, every bartender is different, and your bar could use more bitters on average. For example, “I'll have a Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned, extra sweet.”

Chocolate or walnut bitters work well in this drink if you can find them. I also like Dale DeGroff's pimento bitters. Technique: The most balanced Old Fashioned is made by stirring the drink with ice for about 20 to 30 seconds and then straining that mix over fresh ice. Garnish: Orange twist, lemon twist, or both.

What sugar for Old Fashioned? ›

1. Sugar: The Old Fashioned is traditionally made with either granulated white sugar or a sugar cube. Superfine bar sugar is fast-dissolving and eliminates the potential for a crunchy co*cktail, as does simple syrup. ⇒ If you're avoiding white sugar, try another sweetener.

An Old Fashioned co*cktail is a rich complex blend of flavors, with a hint of sweetness, a trace of citrus and satisfying smooth finish. Add one or two cherries to an old old fashioned glass and lightly mash with a muddler.

Large cube/ King cube / Old Fashioned rocks: This is your entry-level, show-off ice. Generally measuring 2×2-inches, the idea is that you only use a single cube for less dilution in things you'll drink slowly, like spirit-forward co*cktails or a single pour on the rock(s).

3 Key Elements of an Old Fashioned (Besides Whiskey) & How to Hack Them. 1. Sugar: The Old Fashioned is traditionally made with either granulated white sugar or a sugar cube. Superfine bar sugar is fast-dissolving and eliminates the potential for a crunchy co*cktail, as does simple syrup.

So, if you're not a fan of sticky syrups, go ahead and crush those sugar cubes. You can sweeten your co*cktails in a few ways, but you'll still have to take an extra step to make sure your sugar dissolves. It's up to you to decide whether that step requires making syrup or breaking out the muddler.

Simple syrup is used to allow sugar to be evenly mixed throughout a drink, particularly one served cold, by pre-dissolving the granulated sugar in water ahead of time to avoid clumping. It's also one of the easiest ingredients to make yourself—if you can boil water, you can make simple syrup.