Old Fashioned
Whiskey, sugar, bitters and a great deal of stirring. No muddled fruit, no soda — the cocktail is the spirit, diluted and chilled to exactly the right point and perfumed with orange oil.
Photograph credit: Old Fashioned by rochelle hartman from somewhere in the midwest · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photograph credit: Rum, Manhattan, Tequila Old Fashioned (1) by File:Rum, Manhattan, Tequila Old Fashioned.jpg: Cocktailmarler derivative work: Jocian · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Method
Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.
-
Put the sugar syrup and both bitters into a mixing glass. If using a sugar cube, saturate it with the bitters and crush it with a muddler first, then add a teaspoon of water.
-
Add the whiskey and stir briefly to combine.
-
Fill the mixing glass two-thirds with cubed ice.
-
Stir steadily with a bar spoon for 30 seconds — long enough for the outside of the glass to frost. You are chilling and diluting at the same time and both matter.
-
Put one large ice cube into a chilled rocks glass and strain the drink over it.
-
Hold the orange peel skin side down a few centimetres above the surface and squeeze it sharply so the oils spray across the drink. You should see the mist.
-
Rub the peel around the rim, drop it in, and add a cherry if you like.
Chef’s Tips
- Rich syrup — two parts sugar to one of water — sweetens without watering the drink down.
- One large cube in the glass. Small cubes melt fast and the last third of the drink is water.
- No muddled orange slice. That is a different, sweeter drink and it belongs to the 1970s.
Pairing Suggestions
- A quiet hour
- Salted almonds
- A steak
Storage & Reheating
Made to order. A batch of the whiskey, syrup and bitters keeps indefinitely in a sealed bottle — stir it with ice when you pour.
Common questions
How long does Old Fashioned take to make?
About 5 minutes in total — 5 minutes of preparation and of cooking. The recipe serves 1.
What are the key tips for making Old Fashioned?
Rich syrup — two parts sugar to one of water — sweetens without watering the drink down. One large cube in the glass. Small cubes melt fast and the last third of the drink is water. No muddled orange slice. That is a different, sweeter drink and it belongs to the 1970s.
What should I serve with Old Fashioned?
A quiet hour; Salted almonds; A steak.
How should Old Fashioned be stored?
Made to order. A batch of the whiskey, syrup and bitters keeps indefinitely in a sealed bottle — stir it with ice when you pour.
Is Old Fashioned suitable for a special diet?
This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb and keto. Those labels are checked against the ingredient list, so a dish is only marked when nothing in it contradicts the claim.
How many calories are in Old Fashioned?
About 186 kcal per serving, with 0 g protein, 6 g carbohydrate and 0 g fat. The figures are calculated from the ingredient list and are an estimate.
Nutritional Highlights
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.
Reader Reviews
Cooked this? Leave a review
Written and tested by Turab
One person, one kitchen — no test kitchen, no team. How every recipe on this site is checked before it goes up.