OLD FASHIONED

For many connoisseurs, the Old Fashioned is synonymous with the word cocktail. It hails back to the early 19th century and is recognised in The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks as one of the classic drinks, along with the Daiquiri, Jack Rose, Manhattan, Martini and Sidecar. The Old Fashioned is made by muddling sugar with bitters and water, adding whiskey and garnishing with an orange t wist or zest. It's traditionally ser ved in an old fashioned glass that predated the cocktail.

The generally accepted conception of Old Fashioned was back in 1806, when an upscale New York newspaper, The Balance and Columbian Repositor y, answered a reader's question and defined cocktails as a potent concoction of spirits, bitters, waters and sugar. By the 1860s, it was common for orange curaçao, absinthe, and other liqueurs to be added to cocktails. As cocktails became more complex, drinkers accustomed to simpler cocktails began to ask bartenders for something akin to the pre-1850s drinks. After repeatedly going in and out of st yle, the Old Fashioned is once again extremely popular. Though the base spirit can be almost anything, brandy, bourbon and r ye are generally the most historically accurate. Technically, you can make on Old Fashioned with just about anything in your home bar. For a nuanced shift, consider making one with blended Scotch, which offers an elegant take on a classic that perfectly hits all of the traditional notes.