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Old Fashioned

When you get right down to it, the Bourbon Old Fashioned is little more than a slug of whiskey, seasoned and sweetened. Yet for all of its suave simplicity, the drink remains as relevant today as it was when it first captured drinkers’ hearts 200 years ago.

If you’re a history buff, you could draw a straight line connecting this drink to the first recorded definition of the cocktail category in general (circa 1806), which called for spirits, sugar, water and bitters. The Old Fashioned hits all those marks, with whiskey, sugar, water and aromatic bitters. You could also skip the history lesson and simply make the drink. Do the latter if you’re already thirsty.

How It's Made

Ingredients

  • 0.5 oz simple syrup
  • 3 dashes Angostura bitters
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • 2 ounces bourbon (or rye whiskey, if preferred)
  • Garnish: orange twist

Steps

  1. Add the sugar and bitters into a mixing glass, then add the water, and stir until the sugar is nearly dissolved.
  2. Fill the mixing glass with ice, add the bourbon, and stir until well-chilled.
  3. Strain into a rocks glass over one large ice cube.
  4. Express the oil of an orange twist over the glass, then drop into the glass to garnish.