100 Best Old Fashioned Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Is an Old Fashioned better with simple syrup or sugar cube? ›

Use Rich Simple Syrup

The sugar cube is one Old Fashioned tradition that can definitely be skipped. While many recipes call for it, it offers no advantage over using a rich simple syrup and has several disadvantages. Most obviously, you have to find and buy sugar cubes and a muddler.

BEST OLD FASHIONED IN THE WORLD 2 oz Jack Daniel's Single Barrel 4 dashes Angostura Bitters 4 dashes Orange Bitters 1 tsp Rich Syrup - Demerara 2 drops Salt Water Orange Peel, Lemon Peel A touch of love Listen, this ain't a Wisconsin fruit salad in a glass, I didn't use rye whiskey, and a lemon peel slaps in an old ...

1 cube of Angostura soaked sugar cube: Brown Demerara sugar cubes work well in an Old Fashioned co*cktail. 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.

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

There are few drinks manlier than an Old Fashioned. But the simple syrup in this staple (as well as co*cktails like a Whiskey Sour) isn't so simple, nutritionally speaking. “Just 1-ounce packs in over 5 teaspoons of added sugar,” Holthaus says. “And a 6-ounce Old Fashioned will cost you around 260 calories.”

Nearly a decade old, Knob Creek Bourbon is filled with robust flavors. When you stir up an Old Fashioned with Knob Creek 9 Year, you should expect a well-rounded drink. At 100 proof, this bourbon is still rich and sweet, a little fruity, and it will add notes of smooth vanilla and lush caramel to your Old Fashioned.

Best Overall Bourbon for an Old Fashioned: Old Grand Dad 114

Old Grand Dad 114 earns our distinction of the best bourbon for old fashioned. Orange zest, cinnamon, and burnt sugar are the signature tasting notes of Old Grand Dad 114 Proof .

Add the simple syrup and bitters to a large rocks glass and stir a few times. Add one large spherical ice cube and the bourbon, then stir about 20 times until cold with a bar spoon. Twist the orange peel over the drink to express the oil, then drop it in and enjoy.

What do you say when ordering an Old Fashioned? ›

Order your Old Fashioned in 1 sentence so that you can tell your bartender what you want quickly. Begin by saying what brand and type of whiskey you want, and end with any adjustments you are making to the drink. For example, “I'll have a Maker's Mark Old Fashioned, extra bitter.”

While simple syrup works well across the board, some co*cktails intentionally opt for sugar cubes as their first choice. Hot co*cktails — for example, coffee grog — can easily dissolve the cubes, so simple syrup isn't necessary.

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.

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).

Old Fashioned Ingredients

Sugar cube – If you don't have sugar cubes, you can use 1 teaspoon granulated sugar and muddle it with the bitters and water. You can also use 1 teaspoon of simple syrup in place of both the sugar cube/granulated sugar and water.