GuruThe traditional whiskey or bourbon drink — Old Fashioned — which by some accounts is 200 years old, is simply timeless in both its name and its build.
Old Fashioneds are perhaps one of the easiest cocktails to make, coming together in just a few minutes.
Most people retreat to the simple mixture of whiskey, sugar and bitters in winter months, when holiday candies and cookies best complement the cocktail’s hints of baking spices and warm undertones.
Get creative
Many bartenders play on that nostalgia by infusing their own versions of the drink with more than a dozen spices, from cinnamon sticks to cardamom and anise — something any home-bartender can do by combining equal parts sugar and water with spices of choice on the stove. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for at least 10 minutes; let steep and strain before serving or storing.
Old Fashioneds are perhaps one of the easiest cocktails to make, coming together in just a few minutes. Mix spiced syrup (or plain sugar) with bourbon and bitters and garnish with an orange peel — that’s it. You can serve one or many in a flash, depending on the size of your crowd.
You can also stay traditional and show off your bartender skills as you muddle in the flavor before you serve each Old Fashioned.
Bourbon Old Fashioned
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 1/4 ounce gum syrup (See below for traditional)
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 dash orange Bitters
- Orange peel
Stir all ingredients in mixing glass. Strain in chilled rocks glass over ice. Garnish with orange peel.
If you want a more traditional Old Fashioned, muddle a sugar cube, bitters with one bar spoon of water at the bottom of a chilled rocks glass. Add bourbon and an ice cube. Stir until diluted (less than a minute) and garnish with orange peel.
From Erica R. Hendry, PBSNewsHour
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