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    Home » Cocktails » Bourbon

    How to Make a Classic Old Fashioned

    LAST UPDATED: January 7, 2021 PUBLISHED: January 7, 2021 By Pam Greer 5 Comments As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    The Old Fashioned is a classic cocktail for a reason! It's so easy to make and so easy to sip!

    With whiskey, a sweetener and bitters, it's an easy 3 ingredient cocktail that you can whip up in no time!

    Dark brown cocktail with an orange twist in front of some vintage books.

    There are some cocktails that you need to look up in your cocktail book and then there are some cocktails that you just know how to make by memory.

    An Old Fashioned falls easily in the know how to make category. I love them because they basically only have 3 ingredients: whiskey, some sort of sweetener and bitters. Not counting the orange peel garnish.

    Only 3 ingredients makes them very fun to play with! You can change up the sweetener and make one of my most popular cocktails - A Maple Old Fashioned.

    You can play with the whiskey and the sweetener, like I did with my Double Cherry Old Fashioned.

    But before you can play, you need have this Classic Old Fashioned recipe right at your fingertips, ready to pull out and impress your cocktail loving friends!

    Click here to pin this now!

    Bottle of Knob Creek, Angostura bitters, sugar and an orange peel.

    Ingredients:

    Whiskey - you can use your favorite whiskey. We like a Kentucky bourbon and on this night used Knob Creek.

    Bitters - aromatic bitters. We used Angostura.

    Sweetener - we usually use simple syrup, but on this night we didn't have any made. So, we used demerara sugar and water. You can use regular sugar or even the more traditional sugar cube.

    Orange peel.

    Photo collage showing sugar added to cocktail glass and bitters added to the sugar.

    Instructions:

    Add your sugar to a cocktail glass and add 2 to 3 dashes of bitters.

    Photo collage showing water being added to a cocktail glass and then the ingredients being stirred.

    Add a teaspoon of water to the glass.

    Stir to dissolve the sugar.

    Note: If you are going the more traditional route of using a sugar cube, just drop the bitters on the sugar cube and muddle it. If you are using simple syrup, use it in place of the sugar and the water.

    Photo collage showing ice added to glass, whiskey being poured in and an orange peel added for garnish.

    Add a large ice cube to the glass.

    Pour over the whiskey and stir 20 - 30 seconds.

    Twist the orange peel over the cocktail to release it's oils. Rub the peel around the rim of the glass and drop it into the drink.

    Bourbon old fashioned in a cocktail glass in front of vintage books and pitcher.

    Congratulations, you just made a Classic Old Fashioned!

    Have fun experimenting and playing with your classic cocktail. Change up the whiskey, change up the sweetener, and change up the bitters. The possibilities are endless!

    Click here to pin this now!

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    Recipe:

    **As an Amazon affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Brown cocktail garnished with an orange peel in front of vintage books.
    Print Pin Save Saved!
    5 from 24 votes

    Classic Old Fashioned

    This Classic Old Fashioned is so easy to mix up and so easy to sip!
    Course Drinks
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time 5 minutes minutes
    Servings 1
    Calories 148kcal

    Ingredients

    • 2 ounces Bourbon
    • ½ teaspoon Sugar demerara or white or sugar cube
    • 1 teaspoon water optional, but helps dissolve the sugar
    • 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
    • orange peel for garnish

    Instructions

    • Add the sugar, water and bitters to a cocktail glass.
    • Stir to dissolve the sugar.
    • Add a large ice cube and pour in the whiskey.
    • Stir for 20 to 30 seconds.
    • Twist the orange peel over the drink to express the oils and run it around the rim of the glass before dropping it into the cocktail.

    Notes

    The traditional Old Fashioned was made using a sugar cube with the bitters dropped on it and then muddled.  You can still do it that way, omitting the teaspoon of water. 
    You can also use 1 teaspoon of simple syrup in place of the sugar and the water, which is what I typically do. 

    Equipment

    Square Ice Cubes
    Bar Spoon
    Rocks Glasses

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Sodium: 1mg | Sugar: 2g

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Beth says

      January 07, 2021 at 12:30 pm

      5 stars
      This looks delicious and perfect for the weekend! So excited to give this a try!

      Reply
    2. Shashi says

      January 07, 2021 at 12:23 pm

      Your photos are gorgeous! I've never tried an old fashion - but looking forward to soon after this post!

      Reply
    3. Maria says

      January 07, 2021 at 11:44 am

      5 stars
      This looks really good. Thank you for sharing.

      Reply
    4. Toni says

      January 07, 2021 at 10:10 am

      5 stars
      I love how easy this is to make! Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply
    5. Jen says

      January 07, 2021 at 10:06 am

      5 stars
      This has now become my husband's favorite cocktail. Love that it's so easy to make and doesn't take a lot of effort to perfect.

      Reply

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    Pam Greer from Sidewalk Shoes

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