Basic Version
I'm always leery of ordering an Old Fashioned in a bar I don't know. All too often it ends up being a fruit cocktail with some bourbon poured over it. Why some bartenders feel that the drink needs a muddled cherry, orange slice, syrup, and soda is a mystery to me. This is a very simple cocktail, possibly the oldest. It should be made like the name says, in an Old Fashioned way.
2 oz rye or bourbon whiskey
½ oz simple syrup or ¾ tsp sugar or 1 sugar cube
3 dashes aromatic bitters (e.g. Angostura ).
lemon or orange peel twist
If using a sugar cube, place it into an Old-Fashioned glass and soak with 3 dashes of bitters. Let the sugar soften for a minute then muddle it to make a paste. Add the whiskey and top with ice, and stir. Garnish with a twist.
My Favorite
My favorite everyday version of this drink uses Bullet or Rittenhouse Rye, a Demara sugar simple syrup, 3 dashes of Angostura or Boker's Bitters and one dash of Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters, topped with an orange peel twist.
2 oz Bullet or Rittenhouse Rye
½ oz Demara sugar simple syrup
3 dashes aromatic Angostura or Boker's bitters.
1 dash Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters
orange peel twist
In an Old Fashioned glass place the simple syrup, bitters, whiskey, and one large ice cube. Stir a minute until well mixed. Twist the orange peel over the glass and run it lightly around the rim and drop it in. Enjoy.