Im on an Old Fashioned drink kick. I had a fantastic old fashioned at Bonefish Grill. I have decided to try to make them at home and Im finding some variations in recipes.

Some call for sugar other simple syrup. In my experiments so far the sugar does not seem to dissolve quick enough.

I also see variations in bitters. I picked up a plain bottle of Angostura bitters and used some simple syrup. The drink seemed to be missing something. Would orange bitters make a difference?

What recipe are you using? Is there a specific brand of bitters that is better than others? Im curious to try some smoked orange bitters but Im reluctant to keep spending $15 a bottle to find the right brand.

My Old Fashioned recipe:

2 oz of Irish whiskey (I prefer The Irishman reserve)

1 oz of simple syrup (I make my own using Demerara sugar from Wal-Mart. Mix 1-1 ratio of sugar with water. I microwave until sugar is dissolved in the water. Any excess can be stored in the refrigerator.) My wife prefers her drinks a bit sweeter so for her I’ll bump it up to 1 1/2 oz of simple syrup.

2 dashes of orange bitters.
2 dashes of black walnut bitters.

(Fee Brothers bitters from Amazon. $10-$12 per bottle and a small bottle lasts a long time.)

Combine and stir, add ice. Garnish with Luxardo cherry and orange peel if you like. Don’t muddle it!

Recipe also works for other than Irish whiskey, that’s just what I prefer.

Cheers!

^^^ That sounds pretty good. Except I always use rye whiskey in my Old Fashioned.

I’ve used Bulleit rye before with the recipe and it was just as good. My preference is just for Irish whiskey. I should have made that clearer. My wife normally doesn’t care for whiskey or bourbon, but she loves these. So much so she asked me to show her how to make them.

One of my favorite drinks! I'll keep an eye on this thread.

Funny you should ask. My bro and I just toured Woodford Reserve last weekend. We tried their Old Fashioned with lunch afterward and it was damn right tasty!!

Here's a link that includes video...

https://www.woodfordreserve.com/old_fashioned/



To add, the taste test at the end of the tour was PHENOMENAL! Our tour guide was VERY knowledgeable about WR's products and guided us through the tasting. Tip...enjoy your Woodford Reserve with tiny bites of their Bourbon Balls or maybe even a bit of dark chocolate. Adds an ENTIRELY new dimension to the Bourbon experience...you can thank me later . And my liquor cabinet just got more expensive...I discovered their Double Oaked on the tour (smoooooooth as a virgin's inner thigh) and they're coming out with Double Double Oaked next year; I believe it was released only in "limited" batches previously.

I love a GOOD Old Fashioned. Unfortunately, most of the restaurant bartenders in the area don't seem to make a very good version (I had one at Outback last night that was absolutely horrible and had little taste). I have had a few outstanding versions at some specialty bars in the area.

I've been doing a lot of experimenting at home. I prefer mine with bourbon, simple syrup (I cheat and buy the pre-made from Master of Mixes), Agnostora bitters, and a slice of orange. I've also been trying out different pre-made mixers. I've had the mixes from Master of Mixes (not bad), Cocktail Crate (better) and Buffalo Trace (the best so far). I've only found the Buffalo Trace version at the distillery gift shop, and it is a little pricey when bought there. I'm sure they source if from somewhere, and I hope to figure that out so I can buy it directly. The one thing I have determined with the pre-mixes is that the directions usually yield a drink sweeter than I like, so I tend to put more bourbon than the recipe calls for. So if the mix directions call for a 2 parts bourbon to 1 part mix, I usually use 3 parts bourbon.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
^^^ That sounds pretty good. Except I always use rye whiskey in my Old Fashioned.

WORD! And try it with Ranger Creek Rye.

I use Turbinado sugar. Hit it with a VERY light dash of club soda. Stir that around for a bit. Then add bitters. I use either Angostura Aromatic, Fees Old Fashioned, or Fees Orange depending on how I'm feeling at the time. Add 2 oz Rye and stir for a couple seconds. Then add a single big ice cube (been using 2 1/2" spheres mostly). Then 'stir' by mostly just pushing the ice around. Garnish with a Luxardo charry (if you use one of those candy apple red Maraschino cherries, stop it NOW). Get a small piece of orange (or lemon) skin, express the oils onto the glass. Then enjoy.

Domino has a "quick dissolve" sugar available. It's a finer grain than regular sugar. I got mine on amazon for my Caipirinhas.

Smoked Maple Old Fashioned

2 oz bourbon (I like knob creek for this)
1 oz maple syrup
5 dashes Regan's orange bitters

Garnish w/ orange peel

There are multiple ways to infuse smoke, but I use a smoking gun. With the gun, I put smoke into an empty bourbon bottle, combine all the liquid ingredents and pour into the smoke filled bottle. Replace the cap and shake for 5 to 10 seconds then pour over an ice ball.

quote:

Originally posted by Skull Leader:
Caipirinhas.

Yum.

quote:

Originally posted by Skull Leader:
Domino has a "quick dissolve" sugar available. It's a finer grain than regular sugar. I got mine on amazon for my Caipirinhas.

Some stores carry Superfine Sugar, otherwise known as Bar Sugar. You can also make it yourself by putting regular sugar through a food processor for about 2 minutes. Cover it with a towel while doing so because it makes a lot of dust

In an Old Fashioned, I tend to like the grainy sugars. Gives a different mouth feel and helps the drink evolve. Get more of the sugar rush at the end.

I was in the Cayman Islands a couple of years ago and we stopped at the Georgetown Yacht Club where I had an outstanding Old Fashioned.

When I got back to the States, I emailed the Club and there were kind enough to send me their recipe:

- 2oz Makers Mark 46
- 1 cube brown sugar
- splash Orange Bitters
- splash citrus tea syrup
- 1 luxardo cherry
- 1 piece orange zest

Muddle sugar cube with orange biters and tea syrup. Stir Makers Mark over ice and with the sugar solution. Garnish with orange zest and cherry.

The Wisconsin Old Fashion is made with brandy.

The Wisconsin old-fashioned an abridged history

Not in my Wi. house!
Seagrams VO is my main ingredient.
Bitters, sugar and water in my premix. (Ho-made)
Topped of with anything from 7-up, sour to water. I prefer 7-up.
Like an angel pissing on your tongue!!

I love Old Fashioned. Maybe too much. I have been making and experimenting with them for many years. Here is what I have found out...

I prefer simple syrup over sugar.
Use Luxardo cherries.
Use a splash of good mineral water that has gone flat.
Peel the skin (zest) of an orange, about 1/2” wide and two inches long. Burn edges with a torch.
Get a skillet, throw some hickory chips in it. Set afire with a torch. Once burning well, put glass over chips to extinguish the fire. Glass will fill with smoke. Let rest (filled with smoke upside down) for about a minute. Pour your drink into smoked glass.
Take a bottle of Bullet Bourbon or Rye. Pour into a large mason jar. Add a couple Earl Gray tea bags. Cap tightly and steep in the sun for a day or so. Pour back into bottle.
Woodford reserve makes some great bourbon barrel cherry bitters.
Dashfire makes a star anise bitter that is amazing.
I’m also a fan of Bobs Bitters Coriander.

I don’t have a recipe per say, but experiment with what I listed.
I would say my favorite is the star anise bitters, about three drops, two ounces of Bullet Rye steeped with Earl Gray, about 1/2 oz simple syrup, a lightly burned orange zest, two luxardo cherries, and 1/2 oz if flat mineral water. Mix all that together and pour into a smoked glass.

The Earl Gray tea Rye was an idea stolen from a restaurant called El Gaucho. They made a mean old fashioned, and the trick was the Bullet Rye steeped with Earl Gray. I can’t emphasize enough, how that’ll make the drink amazing.

In St.Augustine there's a place called Tini Martini.. They have a RYE NOT....Templeton Rye,Belle de Briellet pear brandy and Fee Brothers orange bitters. It is very good..

I’ve been drinking these for a couple years now and tinkering with the recipe the whole time. My current:

1 oz maple syrup
1 Luxardo cherry
6 drops chocolate bitters

Muddle the cherry in the above
Add ice

4 oz Whisky (I prefer Bulleit rye or Woodford reserve)

Garnish with orange peel.

For those that enjoy the Old Fashion, i highly recommend trying a few different bourbons on the rocks. You don't have to go expensive on the bourbon. Evan Williams bib is a great cheap bourbon. I like Wild Turkey 101. Bulleit bourbon or rye is good. The key is finding a bourbon you enjoy and that you can readily find in stock.