Old Fashioned

1870s-1880s

It’s the very definition of a cocktail, as first laid out in print in 1806: alcohol, sugar, water, bitters. Originally known as a Whiskey Cocktail, the Old Fashioned tag likely stuck some time in the 1870s or 1880s, when bartenders started making ‘improved’ versions with alternative spirits, drawing a distinction from the original, or ‘old fashioned’ style. As with Mint Juleps, rye would have been the original base, but whether through evolution or an association with Kentucky’s Pendennis Club (at one time thought to be the inventor of the drink), bourbon is now the typical pour. The cocktail’s ubiquity has given birth to much variation over time – sugar syrup rather than cubes, muddled fruit, quirky bitters – but post

Mad Men- revival, a simple serve with quality sipping bourbon and a simple orange twist has become standard. Ask 10 bartenders for their choice bourbon and you’ll get 10 different answers, from Evan Williams Single Barrel – preferred by award-winning Ryan Chetiyawardana – to modern classic Buffalo Trace, used in the likes of London’s oldest restaurant, Rules.

OLD FASHIONED

Glass Rocks

Garnish Orange twist

Method Place the sugar cube in a glass; wet with bitters and a small dash of water. Crush with a muddler and stir until well combined. Add a large ice cube to the glass and pour over whiskey; stir. Garnish with orange twist. • 60ml bourbon

• 2 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters

• 1 brown sugar cube