That old fashioned can learn some new tricks
More method than recipe, this venerable tipple can be adapted to various spirits
One of the oldest cocktails in the canon, the old fashioned, needs little introduction.
Especially lately, since the drink has gone from a dusty old curiosity to a “call drink” — cocktails that aren’t necessarily on the menu, but get ordered by customers anyway. A couple of years ago, bartenders reported that the old fashioned was overtaking the vodka soda as the top call drink on King West.
So, if the old fashioned is so great, why did it need to stage a comeback? Well, for decades, the original cocktail lost its way as the fruit old fashioned gained popularity.
An old fashioned is basically just sweetened, slightly bittered, diluted whisky served over ice and garnished with an orange peel, but at some point people decided to take it up a notch by muddling fruit into the drink.
That, in itself, wasn’t such a terrible idea.
Unfortunately, one of the “fruits” involved was the maraschino cherry.
I once saw a bartender take a scoop of bright red Day-Glo cherries and toss them in the bottom of a glass, along with a few slices of orange, smash them up, then add ice, simple syrup and whisky. It was … not good.
Fortunately, as more and more bartenders started researching bygone recipes, a more minimalist old fashioned was revived.
It became especially popular once people realized that it was more than a recipe, but rather a method that could be applied to just about any spirit. Once you master the basics, you can make it with rum, brandy, tequila or even gin.
Here, though, we are making it with Canadian whisky, since that’s a delicious spirit — and barrels of it are being made within 100 miles, right here in southern Ontario.
Method: Place the sugar cube in an old fashioned lowball glass. Douse the sugar in bitters, add soda and start muddling until the sugar is dissolved.
Add whisky and a couple of large ice cubes and stir for 30 seconds. Express the oils from the orange peel and serve. Or drink.
Tip: Bartenders pay a lot of attention to ice for a simple reason — rate of dilution. Spirit-forward drinks are generally served on one or two large cubes that don’t melt as quickly, since oversized ice keeps the drink from becoming watered down. Jumbo icecube trays can be bought at cocktail supply shops like Toronto’s Cocktail Emporium.