The Old Fashioned recipe
for your table
Place the sugar cube in the glass, add the bitters and a splash of water, and muddle everything with a bar spoon or muddler.
Add a large ice cube and pour the whiskey over it.
Stir gently for 20 to 30 seconds until the drink is well chilled and slightly diluted.
Squeeze the oil from an orange zest over the glass, run the zest around the rim, and place it in the glass.
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The story
The Old Fashioned dates back to the beginning of the nineteenth century, when the word 'cocktail' still literally referred to a mix of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. When bartenders began experimenting more extravagantly in the late nineteenth century, purists ordered their whiskey cocktail 'the old-fashioned way', and the name stuck. The Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky claims to be its birthplace, but in fact this classic belongs to everyone. Today, it is more popular than ever: from speakeasies to living rooms.
The right glass
The Old Fashioned is served in the glass it is named after: a low, wide old fashioned glass, also known as a tumbler or rocks glass. The wide base is not just for show. You need it to press the sugar cube, and it fits exactly one large ice cube that slowly chills the whiskey without diluting it. Choose a 30 to 35 cl glass with a thick base that feels sturdy in your hand. If you also want to use the same glasses for neat whiskey, take a look at our whiskey glasses.
Stölzle Lausitz Kyoto Tumbler 43 cl (6 pieces)
Eclat Longchamp Tumbler 32 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 61,90.
The right tools
For an Old Fashioned, besides the glass you need a muddler, a bar spoon for stirring, a jigger for precise measuring, a bitters bottle, and a zester for the twist. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glassware set (our pick 01) + 5 bar tools together € 111,70.
What do you make an Old Fashioned with?
For an Old Fashioned, you need whisky. Well-known bottles include Johnnie Walker and Clase Azul. On every drinks page, you can read the percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works well in and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Replace the whiskey with rum to make a Cuban Old Fashioned, or use tequila for an Oaxaca version. Try switching up the bitters too: chocolate bitters add a wintry note, while orange bitters are fresher. For larger groups, you can easily prepare it in advance in a bottle; only the ice and zest should be added at the last minute. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Servingtip
Use one large ice cube instead of several small ones: the less melting surface, the longer your Old Fashioned retains its flavor. Briefly flambé the orange oil over the glass for a subtly caramelized aroma.
Good to know
Sugar cube or simple syrup
The sugar cube is the traditional method and works well because the grains carry the bitters and orange oil as you muddle. Use a four-gram sugar cube, two to three dashes of Angostura and a splash of water, and keep stirring until no grain remains crunchy; this takes about thirty seconds. If you want to make sure everything dissolves, use 1 cl of one-to-one simple syrup. The result is virtually the same, but you miss the slow ritual that belongs to this cocktail.
Bourbon or rye: which whiskey should you choose?
Bourbon contains at least 51 percent corn and brings vanilla, caramel, and a gentle sweetness; rye contains at least 51 percent rye and is drier, pepperier, and spicier. With bourbon, you get the rounder version most people expect; with rye, the sharper one that pairs better with the sugar cube. Choose a bottle at 45 to 50 percent ABV, because at 40 percent the whiskey disappears behind the dilution from the ice. A good thirty- to forty-euro bottle does more here than a rare collector's whiskey.
Making the perfect large ice cube
A five-by-five-centimeter cube melts about four times more slowly than the small cubes from a standard mold, and that is exactly what you want in a cocktail you drink over twenty minutes. Use a silicone mold and fill it with water you have boiled and allowed to cool first; it will contain less air, and the cube will be clearer. Freeze it for at least eight hours and take it out of the freezer a minute before use so it does not freeze onto the glass.
Common mistakes when making an Old Fashioned
The first is shaking it. An Old Fashioned consists only of spirits, sugar, and bitters, and shaking makes it cloudy and too watery; stirring for twenty to thirty seconds is enough. The second is too little dilution, because without those few percent of water, the whiskey remains sharp and closed-off. The third is muddling the orange slice in the glass, a habit from the 1970s that makes the cocktail sweet and pulpy; instead, squeeze the oil from a zest over the glass. The fourth is using too much bitters.
Bourbon Old Fashioned or rum Old Fashioned
A bourbon Old Fashioned is the version most people picture: the corn content brings vanilla and caramel, which pair beautifully with the sugar cube. A rum Old Fashioned, also called a Cuban Old Fashioned, replaces the whiskey with six centiliters of full-bodied dark rum. It already brings molasses sweetness, so start with half a sugar cube and taste before adding more. With rum, chocolate bitters work just as well as Angostura. The method stays the same: muddle, add one large ice cube, stir gently, and squeeze the oil from an orange zest over the top.
Old Fashioned cocktail recipe for four
When making an Old Fashioned cocktail for a table, the easiest approach is to batch it in advance in a bottle: 24 cl bourbon or rye, 4 cl simple syrup, and eight to twelve dashes of Angostura. Add about 4 cl of water, as this replaces the dilution normally produced by stirring in the glass. Chill the bottle for at least an hour, then pour each serving over a large ice cube and squeeze the zest only at the table. This keeps the ritual visible without having to stir four drinks in a row.
Frequently asked questions
What is in an Old Fashioned?
An Old Fashioned contains 6 cl bourbon or rye whiskey, a sugar cube or a bar spoon of simple syrup, two to three dashes of Angostura bitters, a splash of water, and an orange zest, served over one large ice cube. A cocktail cherry is optional, but not essential.
What is the original recipe for an Old Fashioned?
The original is the cocktail's earliest form: spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. Muddle the sugar cube with the bitters and a splash of water in the glass, add a large ice cube and the whiskey, and stir for twenty to thirty seconds until everything is chilled.
How do you make an Old Fashioned whiskey cocktail?
Dissolve the sugar with the bitters and a little water in the glass, add a large ice cube, pour 6 cl whiskey over it, and stir gently until the drink is cold and slightly diluted. Finally, squeeze the oil from an orange zest over the glass and place the zest in it.
Which glass is right for an Old Fashioned?
The low, wide glass that gave the cocktail its name: an old fashioned glass or tumbler holding 30 to 35 cl, with a thick base. You need that wide base to muddle the sugar cube, and it fits exactly one large ice cube; see our old fashioned glasses.
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