This classic Old Fashioned recipe is easy to make at home with simple ingredients. Learn how to mix a perfectly balanced, timeless drink everyone loves.
The Old Fashioned is barely a cocktail recipe at all: just lightly sweetened booze with bitters. But it’s become one of the most famous of all classic drinks! The recipe dates back to the early 1800’s, before the words classic and cocktail were even said next to each other.
Everyone has their own spin on an Old Fashioned drink recipe, but I think this one’s pretty perfect: just a fat square of ice, a ribbon of orange peel, and whiskey that tastes like the best version of itself. Here are a few tricks to making this cocktail so the whiskey shines!
Why You’ll Love This Old Fashioned Recipe
- Minimal ingredients. Just 5 ingredients are needed for this satisfying classic cocktail.
- Ready in five minutes. No shaker, no strainer! Just stir and sip.
- Crowd-pleasing in the best way. It’s the kind of whiskey cocktail you can serve when you want to look like you know what you’re doing.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The Old Fashioned gets its name because it started as literally the cocktail. That’s right: the first cocktail in existence! The definition of the word cocktail was first documented in 1806 in a New York paper The Balance and Columbian Repository, calling it a “concoction of spirits, bitters, water, and sugar,” essentially a recipe for an Old Fashioned.
Once more cocktails came along in the 1880’s, they needed a name for that original whiskey cocktail. The “Old Fashioned” was born. The ingredients in an Old Fashioned are:
- Bourbon or rye whiskey: The base spirit. See my tips on choosing the right whiskey below!
- Sugar cube: I prefer a sugar cube for its slow, nuanced sweetness. As a swap, simple syrup works too and tastes a bit smoother.
- Water: Just a small splash helps dissolve the sugar.
- Angostura bitters: The aromatic backbone; all you need are a few dashes for a nuanced flavor.
- Orange peel: The essential garnish that adds fragrant citrus oils into the drink.
Bourbon vs. Rye
Should an Old Fashioned have bourbon or rye whiskey? It’s up to you! I personally prefer bourbon for its rounder flavor, but if you’re a rye fan by all means: go with it. Here’s the difference:
Bourbon whiskey is sweeter and rounder, with vanilla, caramel, and oak notes. If you’re newer to whiskey or like smoother drinks, bourbon is your go-to. I like Bulleit Bourbon: it’s mid-priced and tastes great.
Rye whiskey is spicier and drier, with a peppery finish. It’s a good choice if you want your old fashioned to be a little edgier.
How to Make an Old Fashioned
The Old Fashioned recipe is perhaps one of the easiest great cocktails there is! It’s almost 100% whiskey, so you’ve got to love the stuff to drink this one. (If you’re not a whiskey afficionado, a whiskey sour is more up your alley.) The classic method for how to make an Old Fashioned is:
- Shake 4 dashes bitters on 1 sugar cube, then muddle it with ½ teaspoon water. This is the traditional method, though many recipes these days call for simple syrup since it dissolves better. We like the nuanced sweetness of the sugar cube best: it really lets the whiskey shine. Don’t worry if it doesn’t dissolve all the way.
- Add 2 ounces whiskey. Bourbon is sweet with hints of vanilla and oak, or use rye whiskey for a spicier finish.
- Add ice, orange peel, and optional cherry. Add a large ice cube and an orange peel, making sure to squeeze it over the drink to release the oils. If desired, add a cocktail cherry.
How to Serve It
Both the orange peel and cocktail cherry are listed as the garnish in the official IBA definition of an Old Fashioned. Here are a few notes on the garnish:
- Orange peel: Squeeze it over the drink first, which releases the oils and gives it a strong orange perfume. Then run the orange peel around the rim of the glass to give an even more citrusy first sip.
- Cocktail cherry: The cherry adds a nuanced sweetness to this cocktail. Determine if you’d like your Old Fashioned on the sweeter side.
- Lemon peel: A lemon peel is a lesser known option which is especially nice with rye whiskey; use it on its own or along with the orange peel.
- Glassware: a rocks glass or lowball glass is traditional. You want something heavy-bottomed with enough room for that large ice cube to sit comfortably.
- Ice: For a next level Old Fashioned, make a batch of clear ice! Clear ice is perfectly clear artisan style ice like you’d see in a fancy bar, instead of cloudy cubes from an ice tray. It not only looks beautiful, but allows you to cut a large square to fill the entire glass. See my tutorial, How To Make Clear Ice.
Easy Swaps & Variations
Once you’ve made the classic, it’s fun to start tweaking. Here are a few swaps I’ve tried:
- Simple syrup instead of sugar cube. Easier to dissolve and you might already have it on hand. Use ½ teaspoon to start.
- Orange bitters instead of (or with) Angostura. A dash or two of orange bitters adds brightness and lifts the drink.
- Maple syrup for a warmer sweetness. Try my Maple Old Fashioned, which is great in fall or winter. You can also make an Apple Cider Old Fashioned.
- Demerara syrup in place of sugar gives the cocktail a richer flavor: try my homemade Demerara Syrup.
- Mezcal for a smoky twist. Try the Oaxaca Old Fashioned, which uses mezcal and chocolate bitters.
- Brandy for a Wisconsin spin. The Wisconsin Old Fashioned uses brandy and a splash of soda.
- Make it smoked. For true drama, make a Smoked Old Fashioned!
- Other liquors: Try my Jagermeister Old Fashioned, Fireball Old Fashioned or Skrewball Old Fashioned.
Frequently Asked Questions
The secret is respecting the whiskey. This cocktail is almost entirely spirit, so use a bottle you actually enjoy drinking neat. Beyond that: express your orange peel properly (don’t skip squeezing it over the glass), use a large ice cube to control dilution, and resist the urge to over-sweeten.
Simple syrup is just equal parts sugar and water, heated until the sugar dissolves. See my tutorial, How to Make Simple Syrup. Use ½ teaspoon in place of a sugar cube in this recipe. For a richer version, use demerara sugar instead of granulated sugar, which makes a syrup with more flavor and body.
Both are whiskey cocktails. An Old Fashioned uses whiskey, sugar, bitters, and a citrus garnish. A Manhattan uses sweet vermouth instead of sugar and adds a dash of bitters, resulting in something smoother more complex. See my guide, Manhattan vs. Old Fashioned.
Old Fashioned Recipe
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This classic Old Fashioned recipe is easy to make at home with simple ingredients. Learn how to mix a perfectly balanced, timeless drink everyone loves.
- Author: Sonja Overhiser
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Stirred
- Cuisine: Cocktails
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 sugar cube (1 teaspoon sugar)
- 4 dashes Angostura bitters
- ½ teaspoon water
- 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) bourbon or rye whiskey
- Orange peel
- Cocktail cherry, for garnish (optional)
- Large clear ice cube, for serving
Instructions
- Place the sugar cube in a lowball glass and add the bitters. Add the water and mash and swirl it with a muddler or wooden spoon until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
- Add the whiskey and swirl to combine. Add a large ice cube.
- Use a knife to remove a 1″ wide strip of the orange peel. Squeeze the orange peel into the drink to release the oils. Gently run the peel around the edge of the glass, then place it in the glass. If desired, garnish with a cocktail cherry for additional sweetness.
More Whiskey Cocktails to Try
Some of my favorite whiskey cocktails and bourbon cocktails are:
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