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The bourbon Old Fashioned is a smooth, spirit-forward sipper that’s one of the oldest cocktails in history! This classic is here to stay.
If you’re a bourbon fan, you’ve got to try it in one of the oldest cocktails there is: the Old Fashioned! This classic blend of spirits, sugar, water, bitters, and a spritz of orange is truly sophisticated and sublime.
The bourbon Old Fashioned lets that bourbon shine, gussied up with just enough to accentuate its classic vanilla and oak flavor notes. Here’s how to make this classic recipe, along with a few tips for making a standout version at home.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The Old Fashioned cocktail is the first cocktail in history and has been around for over two centuries. The definition of the word cocktail was first documented in 1806 in a New York paper, which called it a “concoction of spirits, bitters, water, and sugar”— essentially a recipe for an Old Fashioned!
When more cocktails came along in the 1880’s, they needed a name for that original cocktail, and the “Old Fashioned” was born. The classic drink can be made with any whiskey, but this spin uses bourbon. The Old Fashioned ingredients are:
- Bourbon whiskey
- Sugar cube
- Water
- Angostura bitters
- Orange peel
Best Bourbon to Use
Most bourbons have a characteristic sweetness, which makes for a highly sippable drink in the spirit-forward Old Fashioned. Use your favorite type.
You can go with a higher-end craft or single-barrel bourbon, but I recommend a mid-range blended bourbon. Anything in the $25 to $35 range for a 750ml bottle is considered mid-range, but you can go as high-end as you like! Some brands I’d recommend are:
- $: Elijah Craig Small Batch
- $$: Four Roses Small Batch or Woodford Reserve
- $$$: Bulleit 10 Year Bourbon
How to Make a Bourbon Old Fashioned
There are lots of opinions on how to make the best bourbon Old Fashioned. The way I like it is the classic method, using a sugar cube and muddling it right in the glass. The classic method for how to make an Old Fashioned is:
- Shake 4 dashes bitters on 1 sugar cube, then muddle with ½ teaspoon water. This is the traditional method, though you can also use simple syrup if you like (1 ½ teaspoons). I prefer the nuanced sweetness of the sugar cube best; it really lets the whiskey shine. Don’t worry if it doesn’t dissolve all the way.
- Add 2 ounces of bourbon.
- Garnish with clear ice, orange peel, and a cocktail cherry. Add a large ice cube and an orange peel, squeezing it over the drink to release the oils. Add a cocktail cherry if you like!
Clear Ice Makes the Drink
An Old Fashioned isn’t complete without a large chunk of clear ice, in my opinion! Clear ice is crystal clear, not cloudy like standard ice, and can be cut into large organic shapes that fill the cocktail glass. There are two simple ways to make clear ice for all your home cocktails:
- Make it using a small cooler. You can make a batch that will last for many drinks, store it in the freezer, and cut it into large cubes to serve. All you need is 24 hours and a small cooler! Check out my tutorial, How to Make Clear Ice.
- Use a purchased clear ice tray. With the popularity of home bartending, there are now some great options for clear ice trays. I like this one: ClearlyFrozen Home Clear Ice Maker.
Dietary Notes
This recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Bourbon Old Fashioned
The bourbon Old Fashioned is a smooth, spirit-forward sipper that’s one of the oldest cocktails in history! This classic is here to stay.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Cocktails
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 sugar cube (1 ½ teaspoons simple syrup)
- 4 dashes Angostura bitters
- ½ teaspoon water
- 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) bourbon
- Orange peel
- Cocktail cherry, for garnish (optional)
- Large clear ice cube, for serving
Instructions
- Place the sugar cube in a lowball glass and add the bitters. Add the water and mash and swirl it with a muddler or wooden spoon until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
- Add the whiskey and swirl to combine. Add a large ice cube.
- Use a knife to remove a 1″ wide strip of the orange peel. Squeeze the orange peel into the drink to release the oils. Gently run the peel around the edge of the glass, then place it in the glass. If desired, garnish with a cocktail cherry for additional sweetness.
