Despite its sophisticated flavors, the Old Fashioned is one of the easiest cocktails to craft at home. The drink only has a few ingredients and doesn’t require any special equipment except a jigger, muddler (or, if so desired, a mortar and pestle) and a bar spoon.
Muddling is a key step in our recipe. It’s also the most fun step as this is when the aromas start to drift out of the glass.
We like to spread the muddled sugar around the glass. Doing this primes the glass and distributes the flavor.
We mentioned that we like to use jumbo ice cubes and we weren’t kidding. We even bought a special jumbo ice cube tray for cocktails like the Old Fashioned. The jumbo ice cube tray was relatively pricey but there’s nothing like popping out a giant cube and plopping it into a rocks glass.
Since bourbon is the most important ingredient in a Bourbon Old Fashioned, this is not an ingredient to scrimp on. Instead, find your favorite bourbon and use it in this drink. We typically use Buffalo Trace. For us, this is the best bourbon for an Old Fashioned recipe.
If you don’t have access to Buffalo Trace where you live, we recommend using Four Roses, Makers Mark, Woodford Reserve or any other quality bourbon.
After gently stirring the cocktail, the last step is to express the glass with orange peel before dropping the garnish into the glass.
Expressing coats the rim with a light layer of orange oil that tempts the nose and tickles the taste buds.
Who knows? Maybe you’ll be like us and fall in love with our classic Old Fashioned recipe. It’s both an oldie and a goodie.
