Old-Fashioned

Why This Recipe Works

In the 1800s, if you walked into a bar and asked for a “whiskey cocktail,” you'd get whiskey, sugar, bitters, and ice (or water). Later, as new liqueurs began arriving from Europe and bartenders started experimenting with them, you could no longer be sure what you'd get, so people began asking for a “whiskey cocktail the old-fashioned way.” There's debate over whether the old-fashioned was made originally with bourbon or rye—or even rum. Many recipes call for muddling sugar cubes and fruit in the bottom of a rocks glass, but sugar cube size varies and so using Simple Syrup instead ensured consistency of flavor, and we didn't have to worry about gritty undissolved sugar at the bottom of our cocktail. Old-fashioneds are often sweeter than Manhattans because of that sugar cube, but the small amount of Simple Syrup ensured that ours wouldn't be too sweet. In lieu of the muddled fruit, we discovered that tasters loved the subtle citrus element that citrus bitters brought, in addition to the woodsy notes of old-fashioned aromatic bitters.