The Classic Old-Fashioned
The July 2020 survey asked how to make your old-fashioned and we had some interesting results! There are so many Old-fashioned variations using all liquors, different sweeteners, and other additives - this survey taught me a few new ones.
So what is an old-fashioned? It is a whiskey based cocktail (usually) with a sweetener, bitters, water, garnished with an orange slice (or zest) and a cherry, and served in an old-fashioned glass. The old-fashioned is a very simple cocktail, but is packed with flavor and complexity - depending on the ingredients you are using. This delicious drink is an IBA original cocktail and is the top selling cocktail in the world. It is truly the king of cocktails.
Old-Fashioned History
The old-fashioned was developed in the 1800’s and named around 1880 and was referred to as a whiskey cocktail. The earliest mention of this drink was in an 1806 issue of The Balance and Columbian Repository, from a reader asking for the definition of the word “cocktail”. It was defined by the editor as a potent concoction of spirits, bitters, water, and sugar. It is the very definition of a cocktail! In 1833 the cocktail was described by JE Alexander as rum, gin, or brandy based with significant water, bitters, and sugar, and garnished with nutmeg. So clearly it changed over time. Notice how they don’t describe it as being served in a whiskey glass on ice - many times it was served up.
It became more popular in the 1840’s by the youngin’s. In the 1860’s “improved” whiskey cocktails came about where it was spiked with absinthe, chartreuse, and other liqueurs. People were not so keen on this and started asking for the “old-fashioned whiskey cocktails” which brought it back to the basics - whiskey, sugar, bitters, and water. Eventually the name was shortened to simply, the old-fashioned.
Around 1881 Pendennis Club claimed to have created the old-fashioned, but… read above. It continued to adapt, by being served over ice and being served in the glass it was made in. During prohibition fruit was muddled into it to mask the questionable spirits that were used. The old-fashioned started to fade away a bit in the 1970’s when clear spirits became popular. That’s around when rye whiskey all but disappeared! It became known as the drink of old folks.
Whiskey eventually made a comeback. Unfortunately many of the rye distilleries went under, but a few recipes made it through. Not nearly as well as Bourbon did. So what does the old-fashioned look like now? Let’s see what you said!
Survey Results
30 people spoke up about their old-fashioned. 63% claimed to be home bartenders, 30% industry workers, and the remainder are bar patrons. Most come from the US, but we had a few from India, the UK, Belgium, Italy, and South Africa (to name a few).
Liquor
53% of respondents preferred their old-fashioned with bourbon. 46% asked for rye whiskey. We also had other whiskeys, gin, and tequila old-fashioneds. The brands used were all over the place. The most common brand was Heaven Hill Distillery’s Rittenhouse Rye. The bourbons were a bit tougher. We had Buffalo Trace, Jim Beam, and Russel’s Reserve as some options. The most popular of the bourbons was Makers Mark.
Bitters
I don’t think this is a shocker, but Angostura Bitters killed in the survey. 67% of respondents use that as the bitters. Citrus bitters made their way into 23% of cocktails and fruit bitters were added to 17%.
Sugar
The sugar was all over the place. Some use white sugar, some demerara. Some people use cubes while others use syrup.
Garnish
The most common additions to an old fashioned are orange peels and candied cherries. While 77% of people used the orange peel, only 30% added the cherry in with it. I was a bit surprised here. Are we just being lazy? I love the cherry!
Your Old-Fashioned
