Are you a beer guy looking to expand your horizons into the world of cocktails? Maybe looking to class up your drink orders when out on a date, at a classy restaurant, or when you’re entertaining at home? I know the feeling.
Not long ago I decided to start exploring the world of cocktails. I enjoy an ice cold beer as much as the next guy but there are times when you just want something different. For me, this feeling was the catalyst to look beyond beer and into spirits.
One of the most timeless and classic cocktails is the Old Fashioned. Dating back to well before pre-prohibition days, this drink has been around for quite some time. Had by our fathers and our fathers fathers, for me, drinking an old fashioned feels like taking a trip back in time.
To that end, this will mark the beginning of a series of posts geared towards teaching you how to make some basic but classic cocktails at home. These posts should also give you some drink ideas for when you’re out with the lady at a classy joint and want something to drink that looks as good as your date does.
Ingredients To Make An Old Fashioned
What you’ll need:
- 2 oz. Whiskey (I prefer bourbon but rye works just as well)
- 2-3 dashes of orange bitters (traditionally Angostora)
- 1/4 – 1/2 oz. simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, make it yourself by mixing them together)
- An orange (for the peel)
- Ice
- Luxardo cherry (optional)
- A glass (preferably a rocks glass, similar to what you see here)
Making this drink is incredibly easy and will taste fantastic so long as you have the right ingredients. Stay away from artificial syrups or anything heavily processed. Keep it simple, fresh, and you won’t go wrong.
How To Make Your Old Fashioned
Add your simple syrup and bitters to a glass and give it a quick stir. Pour in your bourbon and add a large ice cube or two. Shave off a peel of your orange and use it to gently brush the rim of your glass before dropping it in.
If you have a maraschino cherry feel free to drop it in at this point. If you’re thinking of dropping one of those stoplight red cherries from the grocery store in, put it back in the jar. If you’re going to add one, spend a little more money and get a jar of Luxardo cherries. Otherwise, go without. It’ll be just as good, plus you’ll thank me later when it doesn’t taste like you’re eating a piece of red plastic at the bottom of your delicious old fashioned.
That’s it, you’re done. Now just sit back, enjoy, and think of simpler times.
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