Old Fashioned is one of the cornerstone cocktails in modern day mixology that got its first mention as early as 1806. This concoction made up of base spirit, aromatic bitters, sugar cubes and water, was earlier believed to have its roots in the US but actually, the cocktail actually has its roots in England.
In May 1806, Harry Croswell, issue of The Balance and Columbian Repository had answered a reader’s query. During this, he defined a cocktail for all posterity as “a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters.” Most of the drinkers recognized that list of ingredients as the ones that make up the classic Old Fashioned.
As mentioned in Jerry Thomas' Bartenders Guide: How To Mix Drinks, it was actually when the newly imported liqueurs and spirits in the mid-19th century started to arrive, the bartenders started creating new recipes. "Crush a small lump of sugar in a whiskey glass containing a little water, add a lump of ice, two dashes of Angostura bitters, a small piece of lemon peel, one jigger Holland gin. Mix with small bar spoon. Serve.’, stated in the book is the recipe for Old Fashioned Holland Gin Cocktail. With more improved and modern cocktails created, traditionalists kept demanding for the ‘old fashioned’ versions. May be the love and pleas for simpler concoctions turned into a recipe that rules the world. In the Old Fashioned, the base spirit could be literally anything, but bourbon, brandy and rye remains to be the most perfect and accurate.
As per an article published in The Courier-Journal, it was a private social club called The Pendennis Club that created the first Old Fashioned. It was a known bourbon aristocrat and bartender James E. Pepper who is believed to have created the drink in Louisville and later, he brought the recipe to Waldorf-Astoria Hotel bar in the New York City. No matter how this drink came to being, we have, and we will always keep loving this classic cocktail, isn’t it?
On a happy note, let us give you a quick recipe of Old-Fashioned cocktail. Believe me, you are going to love it!
Old Fashioned
Ingredients
- 2 ounces bourbon or rye whiskey
- 1/4-ounce simple syrup
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- Orange peel for garnish (optional)
Method
- Take a rocks glass and add simple syrup and bitters.
- Fill the glass with ice and stir to combine.
- Then, add the bourbon or rye and stir for about 30 seconds to chill and dilute.
- Garnish with orange peel and serve!
Enjoy!