Old Fashioned co*cktail (2024)

An Old Fashioned is a true classic co*cktail. Made with whiskey, sugar, Angostura bitters, and an orange peel (or cherry) for garnish, it's a recipe made for whiskey lovers!

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Cambria Bold

Old Fashioned co*cktail (1)

Cambria has over 10 years of experience as a director, editor, and writer. She has held senior editorial roles at Apartment Therapy, Kitchn, and Simply Recipes.

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Updated October 13, 2022

Old Fashioned co*cktail (2)

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What did the trendy co*cktail say to the classic co*cktail? "I'm glad that you're Old Fashioned." And ... thank you, folks, that's all for tonight!

Even if you know nothing about co*cktails, chances are you've at least heard of an Old Fashioned. Made with just four ingredients – whiskey, sugar, Angostura bitters, and an optional (but recommended) orange peel or Luxardo cherry garnish – the Old Fashioned is up there with other co*cktail greats like the Manhattan, Negroni, and Sazerac.

It's super simple to make, too, as is appropriate for a co*cktail designed to highlight its main ingredient: whiskey!

0:36

Watch How to Make an Old Fashioned

The Best Whiskey for an Old Fashioned

The best whiskey for an Old Fashioned is ... the whiskey you like! Many reputable mixologists and co*cktail enthusiasts have opined on whether you should use rye or bourbon, but honestly, you can use either. Which do you prefer? There— that's your whiskey for an Old Fashioned!

I like this drink with bourbon. I used Buffalo Trace most recently, but other mid-tier bourbons like Maker's Mark, Bulleit, or Knob Creek would all be excellent choices.

Sugar Cube or Simple Syrup?

Old Fashioned purists say the proper thing to do is to muddle a sugar cube with the bitters (and either a little club soda or water) in the bottom of the rocks glass. Non-purists, like myself, think that's nice but the sugar never seems to fully dissolve this way. Either my muddling skills are weak (quite possible), or there might be another way.

I'm in favor of using simple syrup for an Old Fashioned because it's easy and convenient. Here's how to make it.

Old Fashioned co*cktail (4)

The Best Bitters for an Old Fashioned

Angostura bitters is traditionally used in an Old Fashioned. Fun fact: Apparently Angostura bitters is kind of like Coca Cola, in that only five people on earth know the recipe, which reportedly consists of over 40 different herbs and spices! (That may be true, but I mostly smell nutmeg right off the bat.)

You can't go wrong with Angostura bitters, but if you're making an Old Fashioned in the winter or around the holidays, I recommend using a few dashes of Fee Brothers Old Fashioned Bitters instead. You get way more cinnamon and clove on the nose, like a winter holiday in a bottle.

More Whiskey co*cktails to Enjoy

Old Fashioned co*cktail

Prep Time5 mins

Total Time5 mins

Serving1 serving

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces bourbon or rye whiskey

  • 1/4 ounce simple syrup

  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters

  • Orange peel or Luxardo cherry, for garnish (optional)

Method

  1. Combine the simply syrup and bitters:

    Add simple syrup and bitters to a rocks glass. Fill the glass with ice and stir to combine. (My favorite stirrer for a single co*cktail? This cake tester!)

  2. Add whiskey, stir, and garnish:

    Add the bourbon or rye and stir for about 30 seconds to chill and dilute. Garnish with orange peel or Luxardo cherry, if desired.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
144Calories
0g Fat
3g Carbs
0g Protein
Show Full Nutrition LabelHide Full Nutrition Label

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories144
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 1mg0%
Total Carbohydrate 3g1%
Dietary Fiber 0g0%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg0%
Calcium 0mg0%
Iron 0mg0%
Potassium 1mg0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Old Fashioned co*cktail (2024)

FAQs

Is an Old Fashioned a strong drink? ›

The old-fashioned is definitely a strong drink. With little dilution and no significant mixer, it's not much lighter than a straight pour of whiskey. The alcohol content of an old-fashioned made with an 80-proof whiskey falls around 32 percent ABV (64 proof).

What your favorite drink says about you Old Fashioned? ›

Dating back to the 1800's, the Old Fashioned was a popular drink served at Gentlemen's Clubs and is often associated to an aristocratic and more mature drinker. Those who pick an Old Fashioned today are said to enjoy a more traditional way of life but still have an air of risk and challenge to their personality.

Why do you add water to an Old Fashioned? ›

Use Great Whiskey

In fact, next to sipping it straight, an Old Fashioned is one of the best ways to experience a whiskey – a small amount of sugar and water help take the edge of the raw spirit and bring out it's more subtle and delicious flavors.

Do people still drink Old Fashioned? ›

Whether you're at an elaborate co*cktail bar or the most humble tavern, there's likely to be someone sipping on the classic. And while the Old Fashioned is a crowd-pleasing favorite, modern-day mixologists adore the drink as well.

How many Old Fashioned does it take to get drunk? ›

You can get drunk in three to four standard whiskey drinks with 40% ABV. A cask strength drink takes fewer glasses before you start feeling dizzy. The effect is faster in an empty stomach or improper sleeping schedule.

What's the strongest alcoholic drink ever? ›

Spirytus Rektyfikowany (96% Alcohol)

In short, abusing this drink can literally make you meet God! Spirytus is actually more potent than the widely-known Everclear and sits atop as the world's strongest alcoholic beverage.

What co*cktails say about your personality? ›

What Your Alcoholic Drink of Choice Says About Your Personality
  • Wine drinkers love a gossip. ...
  • Vodka cranberry drinkers love being part of the action. ...
  • Margarita drinkers enjoy their individuality. ...
  • Gin and tonic drinkers are sophisticated and cool.

Is an Old Fashioned a feminine drink? ›

The Old Fashioned co*cktail, served on the rocks, is one of the traditional manly co*cktails we can't ignore. Poured over ice, this legendary combination of sugar, water, angostura bitters and either bourbon or rye whiskey will give you those ultimate man-points.

How would you describe an Old Fashioned co*cktail? ›

The old fashioned is a co*cktail made by muddling sugar with bitters and water, adding whiskey (typically rye or bourbon), and garnishing with an orange slice or zest and a co*cktail cherry. It is traditionally served with ice in an old fashioned glass (also known as a rocks glass).

Why do you not shake an Old Fashioned? ›

DO NOT shake an Old Fashioned, always stir it. This has nothing to do with temperature but everything to do with texture. Shaking it will add air and water, diluting the co*cktail too quickly. Since the drink is primarily spirit, all you have to do is gently stir with ice, allowing for a smooth, velvety texture.

How long should you stir an Old Fashioned for? ›

Technique: The most balanced Old Fashioned is made by stirring the drink with ice for about 20 to 30 seconds and then straining that mix over fresh ice. Garnish: Orange twist, lemon twist, or both.

Why do you stir an Old Fashioned and not shake? ›

With co*cktails that are spirits, liqueurs and fortified wines only (this includes your, Manhattan, Martini, Old Fashioned, Negroni, they should be stirred, not shaken, because over-oxidation makes the whole inferior to the sum of the parts.

What state drinks the most Old Fashioned? ›

The brandy old fashioned, bloody mary with a beer chaser, Tom & Jerrys — Wisconsin has laid claim to many co*cktails, or perhaps just made them better. In a state that continuously ranks in the top margins for alcohol consumption, Wisconsin's drinking traditions aren't just cherished, they've rarely changed.

Can I drink an Old Fashioned and drive? ›

It is illegal to drink any amount of alcohol, or smoke or ingest any cannabis product while driving or riding as a passenger in a motor vehicle.

Why do they call it Old Fashioned? ›

It's shorthand for an “old-fashioned style whiskey co*cktail”. In the 1800s a “co*cktail” meant any combination of spirit, sweetener, and bitters (think old-timey patent medicines), and what we now call an Old Fashioned is simply a modern recreation of the original co*cktail with modern ingredients.

What alcohol gets you the most drunk? ›

These Strongest Alcohols in the World Will Get You Drunk AF
  • Moonshine. 40% - 80% ABV, 80 - 160 Proof. ...
  • Everclear. 60% ABV, 120 Proof. ...
  • Pernod Absinthe Supérieure. 68% ABV, 136 Proof. ...
  • River Antoine Royale Grenadian Rum. 69% ABV, 138 Proof. ...
  • Bacardi 151. 75.5% ABV, 151 Proof. ...
  • Devil Springs Vodka. ...
  • Stroh 160 Rum. ...
  • Sunset Rum.
14 Feb 2022

What does it feel like to be tipsy? ›

Feeling happy in early stages of intoxication. Slurred speech. Balance & coordination problems. Confidence, lack of inhibition.

Can one shot of bourbon get you drunk? ›

On average, a 160-pound adult male needs four shots of straight bourbon to feel the effects of alcohol.

What is the number 1 alcoholic drink? ›

Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage worldwide. In fact, after water and tea, beer is the most commonly-consumed drink in the world.

Why was Bacardi 151 discontinued? ›

Safety and lawsuits

Because of its high alcohol content, Bacardi 151 was particularly flammable among liquors. For this reason it was often used as the ignition source for "flaming shots" and even for at-home pyrotechnic stunts.

Is there a drink that's 100% alcohol? ›

Another strong alcohol, Golden Grain is a 100% neutral spirit distilled from grain. Similar to Everclear, it's colourless and odourless. It is majorly used for creating homemade liqueurs and extracts.

What alcoholic drink makes you the happiest? ›

The study found that red wine and beer make people feel relaxed, while spirits make people feel sexy and energetic. It also found that women, on the whole, had a more significant emotional response to alcohol than men — except when it came to aggression.

What are the 3 elements of a co*cktail? ›

Before assembling your tools, there are three elements that make up a co*cktail. They are the core (base spirit), the balance (sugar), and seasoning (bitters).

What is an example of Old Fashioned? ›

Wearing a hat is now regarded as rather old-fashioned. It was a lovely little old-fashioned cafe. The bedroom was full of heavy old-fashioned furniture. Working methods in the department were ridiculously old-fashioned until we went over to computers.

What is a sentence for Old Fashioned? ›

The house was dull, old-fashioned and in bad condition. There are some traditional farmers left who still make cheese the old-fashioned way. She has some old-fashioned values and can be a strict disciplinarian.

What are the two types of Old Fashioned? ›

While these might not seem like drastically different liquors, they create two remarkably distinct versions of the co*cktail. As discussed in this intro to the Old-Fashioned article, bourbon tends to make a sweeter, rounder drink, while rye has a little more dryness, spice, and kick.

Should the sugar dissolve in an Old Fashioned? ›

Place the sugar cube in the bottom of an Old Fashioned glass and soak with 4-6 dashes (or drops) of Aromatic Bitters. Add a splash of water and muddle the sugar until it dissolves fully in the water and bitters. Only add enough water to dissolve the sugar.

Why do bartenders shake so hard? ›

Hard Shake

It's a way of understanding how the ice performs in the shaker.” Essentially, it's a three-point shake, typically done with a cobbler shaker, with choreographed motions that focus on maximizing aeration. It moves the ice around the entire shaker, rather than merely back and forth from end to end.

Should you sip an Old Fashioned? ›

This is a Whiskey forward drink, so you will want to use something that you enjoy sipping straight. The other ingredients should only enhance the flavor and make it more of what you enjoy.

How much do you dilute in an Old Fashioned? ›

Using a funnel, pour in: 3½ cups of whiskey, ½ cup of water, 1½ ounces of syrup, and a whole ½ ounce of bitters. Prying the built-in dasher thing off the bitters bottle will make this easier. (If adding water to your co*cktail seems weird, it isn't! Dilution is exactly what we're doing when we stir a co*cktail.

Should an Old Fashioned be cloudy? ›

The key is the orange peel: you need a hefty chunk of it, it needs to be as pith-free as possible, and you need to muddle the heck out of it to really get those essential oils out and into the drink. In my opinion: if your Old Fashioned isn't cloudy, you haven't muddled enough.

How much liquid does an old fashioned glass hold? ›

The size merely indicates, roughly, the capacity of the glass. A traditional old fashioned glass holds 6–8 ounces, whereas a double can hold 12–14. Use an old fashioned glass for drinks built in the glass.

What makes an Old Fashioned smooth? ›

Anyway, once you've got your ice sorted and your drink strained, drop a piece of orange peel in the drink. It's best if you just use a thin strip of zest rather than a thick, chunky piece with pith attached. And there you have it — a delicious old fashioned that does down oh so smoothly.

Do you drink an Old Fashioned before or after dinner? ›

All candidates are fantastic pre-dinner drinks for a special occasion. After dinner and still at the table, the perfect time to take pleasure in a White Lady, an Old Fashioned, a Whisky, Pisco Sour or a Balalaika (if you enjoy vodka).

Does shaking gin bruise it? ›

So when you agitate gin — say by shaking it for a martini — you're causing the top notes to dissipate. Those bits of pine and botanicals that you look forward to start breaking down and become dull. The end result: A co*cktail that's nowhere near as crisp as it should be. “This is what we call bruising,” Stewart said.

What is America's drunkest state? ›

  • This state's largest city is called “Brew City” for a reason.
  • A new nationwide data analysis has found that Wisconsin is the drunkest state in America.
  • Data showed that 82 percent of the top 50 drunkest counties in the United States were located in Wisconsin, as well as the drunkest county in all of the U.S.
5 Nov 2021

What is the #1 co*cktail in the US? ›

Margarita

What is America's favorite alcoholic drink? ›

So what can we take away from this study? Well, the most popular type of liquor in most U.S. states is whiskey, but vodka is a close second. Meanwhile, staple liquors like tequila and rum aren't the most popular liquor in nearly as many states, so the gap between whiskey and vodka and the other liquors is quite large.

How long after 1 drink can I drive? ›

allow at least one hour for your body to process each standard drink. So, for example, if you've had five full strength pots of beers or four glasses of wine, you'd need to wait at least six hours before thinking about getting behind the wheel.

How long will 2 beers show up on a breathalyzer? ›

In Your Blood: Up to 6 hours. On Your Breath: 12-24 Hours. In Your Urine: 12-24 Hours.

How much alcohol does it take to get drunk by weight? ›

It's because the Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) will reach the minimum amount of drunkenness at 0.25 percent. The BAC is calculated based on your weight.
...
How Much Wine do you Need to Get Drunk?
WeightBlood Alcohol Content (per 12 oz.)
Under 100 lbs.0.9
101-150 lbs.0.08
151- 200 lbs.0.06
201-250 lbs.0.04
1 more row
29 Jul 2022

What kind of person drinks an Old Fashioned? ›

Dating back to the 1800's, the Old Fashioned was a popular drink served at Gentlemen's Clubs and is often associated to an aristocratic and more mature drinker. Those who pick an Old Fashioned today are said to enjoy a more traditional way of life but still have an air of risk and challenge to their personality.

What is the opposite of Old Fashioned? ›

current. fresh. modern. new.

Who invented the old fashioned drink? ›

James E. Pepper, bartender and esteemed bourbon aristocrat, was said to have invented the drink in Louisville, before he brought the recipe to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel bar in New York City. This is supposedly where the old-fashioned was born.

Does an Old Fashioned taste strong? ›

The sugar cube gives the bourbon co*cktail its sweetness, while the bitters give it the spiciness and bitterness that helps balance the flavor. Old Fashioned has a strong alcoholic flavor, but the ice and mixers make it an enjoyable and drinkable co*cktail.

Does an Old Fashioned have a lot of alcohol? ›

Old-Fashioned — (38.09%, 2.44oz in volume, 0.93oz alcohol)

What are considered strong drinks? ›

Here are 12 of the strongest liquors in the world.
  • Polmos Spirytus Rektyfikowany Vodka. Proof: 192 (96% alcohol by volume) ...
  • Everclear 190. Proof: 190 (95% alcohol by volume) ...
  • Golden Grain 190. ...
  • Hapsburg Absinthe XC. ...
  • Balkan 176 Vodka. ...
  • Sunset Very Strong Rum. ...
  • Stroh 160 Rum. ...
  • Devil's Springs Vodka 160.
29 Jul 2022

Does an Old Fashioned have more alcohol than beer? ›

If you want to be precise, that beer is . 8 drink equivalents so you would have to drink a little more than two 12 oz. light lagers to equal the alcohol content in that one Old Fashioned. Knowing how much alcohol is in your beverage is just one key component of moderate drinking.

How fattening is an Old Fashioned? ›

Old-Fashioned (151 calories)

The granddaddy of co*cktails, it remains one of the all-time favorites of serious sippers. A touch of demerara sugar and a few dashes of bitters (can't go wrong with Angostura and orange) serve to cut the burn and highlight the sweet, oaky nature of bourbon.

Which co*cktails have the most alcohol? ›

To set the record straight, here's exactly how many shots of booze are in each classic co*cktail, ranked from least to most alcoholic.
  • Margarita.
  • Sazerac.
  • Sex on the Beach.
  • Negroni.
  • Martini.
  • Manhattan.
  • Long Island Iced Tea.
  • Zombie.
22 Feb 2018

Why do bartenders tap empty bottles? ›

In Ireland, it was believed that liquor contained spirits that might be harmful if consumed, and tapping the glass dispelled those spirits.

What is the least harmful alcohol to drink? ›

Take a look at this list of the least-damaging alcoholic drinks from Legends at White Oak to help you drink consciously.
  • Red Wine. ...
  • Light Beer. ...
  • Tequila. ...
  • Gin & Rum & Vodka & Whiskey.
7 Mar 2021

What drinks give you a hard on? ›

Feel free to drink more caffeine

Love coffee or tea? Great! A 2005 review showed that caffeine may improve blood flow and relax the muscles that help you get and keep an erection. Try to keep it to black coffee, unsweetened tea, and caffeinated drinks without sweeteners.

How many beers does it take to equal the alcohol of a shot of whiskey? ›

One 12-oz. beer has as much alcohol as a 1.5-oz. shot of whiskey or a 5-oz. glass of wine.”

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