An Old Fashioned (named for a drink like the ‘old days’) is a spirits forward cocktail made with bourbon, sugar, bitters, and orange.
This easy old fashioned recipe is perfect for your next Mad Men viewing party. Serve them up with other classic favorites like our traditional meatloaf recipe and a side of strawberry fluff.
Old Fashioned
Old Fashioned
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Why you’ll love this classic old fashioned recipe!
📌 Fun sophisticated flavors.
📌 A great addition to date night at home or a dinner party with friends.
📌 Easy to modify to your personal tastes.
Old Fashioned Ingredients
- Alcohol – A classic old fashioned is made with bourbon whiskey, but we’ve also included variations below.
- Bitters – Angostura bitters is traditionally used in this recipe.
- Sugar – White sugar cubes.
- Orange – Orange peel or orange wedge.
- Optional garnish – Maraschino cherries, additional orange slices.
How do you make a old fashioned cocktail? (step-by-step directions)
⭐ First, place a sugar cube at the bottom of your cocktail glass. Drop bitters onto the sugar cube and allow the liquid to soak in and begin to dissolve the sugar cube.
⭐ Next, muddle your soaked sugar cube in the bottom of the glass (you can use a wooden spoon if you don’t have a muddler).
⭐ Then, add ice and bourbon. Stir.
⭐ Finally, rub the rim of your glass with the orange peel, then add it to the glass.
Scroll down to the printable recipe card toward the bottom of this article for ingredient measurements and detailed cooking instructions.
Old Fashioned Variations
Brandy Old Fashioned
Also sometimes called a Wisconsin Old Fashioned, this variation is made by swapping the bourbon for brandy and adding a splash of lemon lime soda at the end. It is also traditionally garnished with maraschino or brandy soaked cherries.
Rum Old Fashioned
A rum old fashioned uses a sweet and spicy dark rum instead of bourbon. You’ll sometimes also see the sugar cube swapped for a dash of maple syrup.
Smoked Old Fashioned
A smoked old fashioned is made with the same ingredients, but uses a cocktail smoker to add the smoky flavor and wow factor!
Virgin Old Fashioned
To make a mocktail version, swap the bourbon for strong black tea (some folks also like barley tea). These days you can even find non-alcoholic bourbon, but honestly the tea works great and is more cost effective.
While bitters are technically alcoholic, they’re like vanilla extract insofar as so little is used to flavor the drink that it does not make it an alcoholic drink in any real way. (Yes, it’s safe to serve to minors when made with tea).
Preparation
How do you make it by the pitcher?
We typically consider a pitcher to be 8 servings. To make a pitcher, multiply each ingredient by 4 (exact measurements provided below).
To simplify things when making by the pitcher, we recommend working with a simple syrup rather than sugar cubes. Swap the sugar cubes for a 1.5:1 (sugar: water) simple syrup. Swap 1 teaspoon of simple syrup for 1 sugar cube.
Can you make it ahead of time?
You can mix this recipe ahead of time, but don’t add the ice until immediately before serving (or it will melt and water down the drink).
Tips, tricks, and frequently asked questions
What does an old fashioned taste like?
An old fashioned tastes like sweet whisky with aromatic notes from the bitters and a hint of citrus from the orange.
It is a very spirits forward cocktail, meaning the bulk of the flavor is bourbon, so make sure to choose a good one!
What is the difference between whiskey and bourbon?
Bourbon is always whiskey, but whiskey is not always bourbon. The primary difference between the two liquors is that to be bourbon it must be produced in the United States.
Also, bourbon has to be made from more than half corn mash and it can only be aged in new, charred oak barrels. It also much be at least 80 proof when finished.
What are bitters?
Bitters, much like vanilla extract, are alcohol infused with flavors (herbs, spices, fruits, roots, tree bark, and other botanicals).
You’ll often find orange peel, gentian root, cassia bark, cascarilla, and cinchona bark in bitters.
What kind of bourbon in an old fashioned drink?
This is totally a matter of preference! we used Jim Bean Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey for the pictured cocktail, but the most important thing is to choose one you love because it will be the primary flavor of your drink.
Why is it called an old fashioned?
This drink is called an Old Fashioned because it is literally an old fashioned drink. Meaning simple, traditional, not fancy or full of embellishments.
Folks would saddle up to the bar and ask for an ‘old fashioned drink’ rather than one of those new fangled concoctions!
What to enjoy with an old fashioned (serving suggestions)
This drink always makes me thing of red meat or smoke, so I’d serve it with a dinner of garlic prime rib, grilled ribeye steaks, or smoked pork tenderloin.
On the side a homemade egg noodle dish with butter or a creamy baked sweet potato. For the green a side of creamed spinach or roasted asparagus.
More delicious cocktail recipes
- Tequila sunrise recipe
- Dirty shirley drink
- Rum punch recipe
- Fuzzy navel recipe
- Grapefruit margarita
- Frozen mango margarita cocktail
- Sex on the beach recipe
- See all our drink recipes!
Tools we love
- Glass pitcher – Everyone needs a gorgeous glass pitcher! Perfect for water on the weekdays and cocktails on the weekends!
- Stemless wine glasses – I am a huge fan of stemless wine glasses for cocktails as they’re much less likely to tip over. Read = I am clumsy.
- Upright blender – Frozen drinks deserve a good blender. Make sure you use one that can blend ice easily.
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How to Make an Old Fashioned
Old Fashioned
Ingredients
BY THE GLASS
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 6-9 drops Angostura bitters start with 6 and add to taste
- 1 cube white sugar
- orange peel or wedge
- ice
- optional garnish maraschino cherries, additional orange wedges
BY THE PITCHER
- 8 teaspoons white granulated sugar or 8 white sugar cubes
- 4 teaspoons warm water
- 40 - 50 drops Angostura bitters (about 1 ounce)
- 2 cups bourbon (16 ounces)
- orange peels or wedges
- ice
- optional garnish maraschino cherries, additional orange wedges
Instructions
BY THE GLASS
- Place a sugar cube at the bottom of your cocktail glass. Drop bitters onto the sugar cube and allow the liquid to soak in and begin to dissolve the sugar cube.
- Muddle your soaked sugar cube in the bottom of the glass (you can use a wooden spoon if you don't have a muddler).
- Add ice and bourbon. Stir.
- Rub the rim of your glass with the orange peel, then add it to the glass.
BY THE PITCHER
- In a pitcher, whisk together the warm water and sugar until fully dissolved.
- Stir in bitters and bourbon. Chill until ready to serve.
- Rub the rim of each glass with your orange peels.
- Add ice and orange peels to each glass, and pour old fashioned mixture in. Garnish as desired.
Notes
- BRANDY OLD FASHIONED: Also sometimes called a Wisconsin Old Fashioned, this variation is made by swapping the bourbon for brandy and adding a splash of lemon lime soda at the end. It is also traditionally garnished with maraschino or brandy soaked cherries.
- RUM OLD FASHIONED: A rum old fashioned uses a sweet and spicy dark rum instead of bourbon. You'll sometimes also see the sugar cube swapped for a dash of maple syrup.
- SMOKED OLD FASHIONED: A smoked old fashioned is made with the same ingredients, but uses a cocktail smoker to add the smoky flavor and wow factor!
- VIRGIN OLD FASHIONED: To make a mocktail version, swap the bourbon for strong black tea (some folks also like barley tea). These days you can even find non-alcoholic bourbon, but honestly the tea works great and is more cost effective.
Nutrition
Old Fashioned
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Jamie says
Simple and delicious! Loved this for Valentines!
Jay says
SO delicious! Thank you so much for sharing.
Olivia says
Thanks for sharing! Made these for a dinner party and they were so good!