Wondering how to make an old fashioned without a bar’s worth of gear? Stir 2 ounces of rye or bourbon with a sugar cube, 2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters and a splash of warm water over ice, then add an orange peel.
Explore more classics in the brooklyn cocktail guides on this site.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Whiskey | 2 ounces rye or bourbon |
| Sugar | 1 sugar cube |
| Bitters | 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters |
| Water | A splash of warm water |
| Garnish | Orange peel |
| First printed cocktail recipe | 1806 |
The figures above follow Punch’s Old-Fashioned recipe. Recipes and sources can change, so check the source before you rely on them.
What goes into an old fashioned
The old fashioned is built from a few basics: spirit, sugar, bitters and water. Punch calls it “a simple mix of spirits, sugar, bitters and water”. That short list is why the drink rewards a steady hand more than fancy equipment.
Here is what Punch’s recipe uses to make one drink:
- 2 ounces rye or bourbon
- 1 sugar cube
- 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
- A splash of warm water
- An orange peel, for garnish
Other writers shift the amounts. Provi gives what it calls the original 1806 recipe as 2 oz bourbon, ½ teaspoon sugar, 3 dashes of Angostura bitters and 1 teaspoon water. Kindred Cocktails lists 3 oz of bourbon or rye. Treat the amounts as a starting point and adjust to your taste.
How to make an old fashioned, step by step
You build the drink straight in the glass, so you can skip the shaker. Punch calls for a double rocks glass and, ideally, an oversized ice cube.
- Put the sugar cube in a double rocks glass. Add the Angostura bitters and a small splash of warm water.
- Muddle until the sugar has dissolved.
- Pour in the rye or bourbon.
- Add ice, preferably one oversized cube, and stir well.
- Finish the drink with a twist of orange peel.
Stirring is where many home versions go wrong. One Kindred Cocktails user suggests mixing for 10-20 seconds, and the site’s own instructions say to “stir to dissolve thoroughly”. If the sugar still feels gritty, keep stirring.
The peel is more than decoration. Provi’s version says to express the oil of an orange peel over the glass, then drop it in. That gives you aroma before the first sip.
Rye or bourbon: which whiskey should you pour?
Either works, and Punch lists “rye or bourbon” in the same line. The choice is a matter of taste, so it helps to know how the two tend to be framed.
- Rye: Punch’s editors write that “nothing beats the burn of a spicy rye Old Fashioned”.
- Bourbon: Serving Alcohol describes the drink as a staple for over 150 years for those who enjoy the sweet taste of bourbon.
Garnish can follow the whiskey. A commenter on Kindred Cocktails prefers an orange twist for garnish and lemon if using rye, while the site’s own recipe uses a lemon peel. Try both and keep the one you like.
Sugar cube, plain sugar or simple syrup
The sweetener is the easiest place to adapt the recipe to what is in your kitchen. Punch says that without sugar cubes, a teaspoon of sugar or a heaping 1/4 ounce of simple syrup will do the trick.
Each option changes the method slightly:
- Sugar cube or loose sugar: muddle it with the bitters and a splash of warm water until it dissolves.
- Simple syrup: swirl it with the bitters in the glass, as Punch advises.
From a purist’s perspective, Serving Alcohol says muddling the sugar is the best option, but simple syrup works. If you are short on time, the syrup is a fair shortcut.
Where the old fashioned comes from
The drink’s roots go back more than two centuries, though the story is tangled. Punch says the combination appears in 1806 as the first printed recipe for a cocktail. Provi ties that year to a reader of an upstate New York newspaper who wrote in confused about the word “cock-tail”.
The name came later. According to Provi, it wasn’t until the 1870s and 1880s that bartenders began adding embellishments, and some customers rebelled against the innovations by asking for the traditional version. Punch likewise says the name was thought to arrive after more elaborate new-fangled cocktails entered the canon.
Early printed recipes did not all agree. Provi notes that in 1862 Jerry Thomas published a bartenders guide with an Old Fashioned made with one jigger of Holland gin, and that the recipe never mentioned whiskey. It also points to an 1895 book by George Kappeler with an Old Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail, and says the official origin of the drink is still heavily debated. Kindred Cocktails credits the Pendennis Club in Louisville, KY, which is one of several claims.
Prohibition nearly buried the original. Punch says that during Prohibition the recipe veered into odd territory, adding fruit and cherries to distract from the available crude spirits, and that the fruity version that followed nearly stomped the true drink out of existence. Then, per Provi, a curious band of bartenders in the 1990s looked back at the origins of their drinks. Bars like Milk & Honey, Angel’s Share and Flatiron Lounge helped reclaim the golden age of cocktails, and bartenders set out to expunge decades of muddled-fruit versions and get back to basics.
Variations to try after the classic
Once the base drink feels easy, it is simple to tinker. Kindred Cocktails says the Old Fashioned may be endlessly varied by using different spirits, or by adding a dash of curacao, absinthe, or other liqueur. Some people also top it with a splash of soda.
A few directions are worth a taste:
- Brandy: a Kindred commenter points to the Wisconsin Old Fashioned, a brandy version with lots of bitters and cracked ice.
- Amaro: Punch’s related recipe Autumn Sweater is tagged with rye, maple syrup, Amaro Nonino and Averna. If the bottle is new to you, read what is amaro before you buy one.
- Fruit: the muddled-fruit style is the one bartenders moved away from, so try it as a curiosity rather than a baseline.
When you want a different whiskey drink, the guide on manhattan vs brooklyn cocktail compares two more cocktails to try after this one.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to muddle the sugar?
Show answer
No, because Serving Alcohol confirms that simple syrup works too. Punch says to swirl the syrup with the bitters in the glass, so the muddling step drops out.
Should I use rye or bourbon?
Show answer
Both fit the recipe. Punch specifies 2 ounces of rye or bourbon, and its editors favour a spicy rye. Pick the one you enjoy drinking neat.
Which garnish is right?
Show answer
Punch uses an orange peel, while Kindred Cocktails lists a lemon peel. Either is a legitimate choice, and expressing the oils over the glass adds aroma.
Why is it called an old fashioned?
Show answer
According to Provi, some customers rebelled when bartenders added embellishments in the 1870s and 1880s, and asked for old-fashioned whiskey cocktails instead. The name stuck and was shortened over time.
