Help Making an Old Fashioned

[millertime150]

I looked up a few recipes online and I will try a couple of variants.

The main problem is what liquor to use. I don't own Rye Whiskey (and don't want to buy just to make a drink I never had and may not like) but have Makers Mark and Seagrams 7 crown. What would be better to use? Also does makers mark or seagrams 7 crown have any rye in them?

The other ingredients I have are:

Bitters
Orange
Lemon
Club Soda (I know this is not in a traditional old fashion)
Sugar
Ice
maraschino cherries (I know they are not in a traditional old fashion)

Any tips are greatly appreciated.

 

[clubman]

I looked up a few recipes online and I will try a couple of variants.

The main problem is what liquor to use. I don't own Rye Whiskey (and don't want to buy just to make a drink I never had and may not like) but have Makers Mark and Seagrams 7 crown. What would be better to use? Also does makers mark or seagrams 7 crown have any rye in them?

The other ingredients I have are:

Bitters
Orange
Lemon
Club Soda (I know this is not in a traditional old fashion)
Sugar
Ice
maraschino cherries (I know they are not in a traditional old fashion)

Any tips are greatly appreciated.

• Put sugar in the bottom of an old fashioned glass (otherwise known as a "rocks" glass). If you don't have cubes, use an equivalent amount of loose sugar (a teaspoon?).
• Douse sugar with a few dashes of bitters
• Add a splash of soda (99% of bartenders out there use soda, sounds traditional to me )
• Muddle everything together until the sugar dissolves
• Throw in some ice cubes
• Add 2oz of your Maker's (the Seagrams wouldn't be right at all, save it for a 7 and 7)
• Give it a stir
• Add a slice of orange and a cherry (again, I've never seen an old fashioned WITHOUT a cherry)

Voila - an Old Fashioned! This is making me THIRSTY, being Friday afternoon and all!

 

[millertime150]

• Put sugar in the bottom of an old fashioned glass (otherwise known as a "rocks" glass). If you don't have cubes, use an equivalent amount of loose sugar (a teaspoon?).
• Douse sugar with a few dashes of bitters
• Add a splash of soda (99% of bartenders out there use soda, sounds traditional to me )
• Muddle everything together until the sugar dissolves
• Throw in some ice cubes
• Add 2oz of your Maker's (the Seagrams wouldn't be right at all, save it for a 7 and 7)
• Give it a stir
• Add a slice of orange and a cherry (again, I've never seen an old fashioned WITHOUT a cherry)

Voila - an Old Fashioned! This is making me THIRSTY, being Friday afternoon and all!

I never ordered one so I really don't know how they are mostly served but from this article and others it seems that the old fashioned drink these days is a bit different from the original made back in the late 1800s I think.

http://www.esquire.com/drinks/old-fashioned-drink-recipe

 

[Tom C]

PS: Seagram's is rye whiskey.

 

[murchmb]

A video tutorial by Robert Hess.

 

[millertime150]

PS: Seagram's is rye whiskey.

Seagram's 7 or VO??

Seagram's 7 says on the bottle that it is an American Whiskey (blended).


Also this video I found shows how to an old fashioned. About 1:18 into the video it looks like he is using Seagram's 7.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdVYe--QZ3c

 

[millertime150]

A video tutorial by Robert Hess.

Thanks I am checking it out now.

I am going to try with Maker's Mark and then one with Seagram's 7. Also with and without clubsoda. Also muddling the cherry and not muddling the cherry.

 

[Noebie]

i keep rye on hand, but also make old fashioneds with bourbon, or sometimes other blended whiskeys (canadian, etc.)

it used to be thought that canadian whiskey was the same as rye, and it's true that especially back in the day there was a higher content of rye in some canadians - but a true american rye like rittenhouse or old overholt is quite a bit more (for lack of a better word) spicy than canadian

either your maker's mark or seagrams ought to do fine

my recipe:

put a sugar cube in the bottom of the class

douse with angostura bitters

toss in an orange wedge, mash it up a little with a muddler or something so you get some of the juice in

toss in a cocktail cherry and maybe a little of the juice

a little of the liquor goes in next and you muddle it all together until the sugar is dissolved

then comes the ice, the rest of the liquor, and sometimes just a splash of soda on the top depending on how i feel - on rare occasions it's a splash of coca cola if there's some opened around the house

not sure how authentic that is - but i like it

cheers!

 

[clubman]

PS: Seagram's is rye whiskey.

Seagram's 7 isn't a rye at all - IIRC, the label says something like "American Whiskey". It's mostly grain spirits mixed with whatever they had lying around the warehouse. Famously ordered by John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever"....

 

[millertime150]

A video tutorial by Robert Hess.

I really like the video. What Robert Hess was saying was very close to my conclusions I came up with from my researching. I am also going to start ordering old fashioned at the bar and see if anyone in my area can actually make one

 

[jwhite]

I waited tables and tended bar for many years at upscale independents. It was not only expected but absolutely mandatory that we be conversant on all traditional libations. A bartender who couldn't explain the difference between a small batch and barrel proof bourbon with some eloquence, for example, was unlikely to keep his job without putting some serious effort into increasing his education.

A proper Old Fashion (as I have always understood it)

Start with a rocks glass
1 tsp. superfine sugar (table sugar will do)
1 dash bitters (more to taste if desired)
1 slice orange
1 cherry
splash soda
muddle first five ingredients
fill with Ice chips or cracked ice
2 ounces bourbon of choice
(rye is uncommon although starting to make a comeback)
pour into shaker and back into glass to mix
(if you want to look like you know what your doing you can use the rocks glass as the shaker lid give one quick shake and break the seal as you invert the two creating a long pour and a well mixed but non cloudy drink.)

 

[Mazeman]

I say you should have a bottle of Rye on hand.

You can (should?) use it in an Old fashioned, a Manhattan, a Sazerac or on the rocks, to name a few. Those alone should justify the purchase.

 

[Noebie]

seagrams is definitely NOT rye

it may have some rye in it, but i doubt it, since it's a more expensive grain than other possible components

a high end rye is a thing of wonder - and even the cheaper stuff is pretty darned good

old overholt can be found for $12 or $13 a bottle around here...and rittenhouse isn't much more

 

[castlecraver]

The advice here is good. I'll add two points:

The sugar cube method is the most traditional, if you can be patient. However if you're hurried or preoccupied you might not get all the sugar well-dissolved, which will result in an inconsistently flavored drink (the bottom few swallows will be far sweeter than they should be). If you're just beginning, I'd recommend just mixing the bitters with a splash of syrup, filling with ice, then adding your bourbon and topping with soda. Give it a stir and you're good to go.

also, Seagrams isn't a rye. Try a true Rye if you get the chance (and move on to Manhattans when the mood strikes!) -- Russell's Reserve from the makers of Wild Turkey is my favorite, but the other suggestions here are good too. That said, there's nothing wrong with a Bourbon old-fashioned. Whereas Rye is the canonical spirit used in a Manhattan, you've got a lot more poetic licence so far as Whiskey varietals are concerned with an old-fashioned. Although I'd much prefer the Makers' in my Old-fashioned, you wouldn't be skewered for using the Seagrams or any other type of whiskey. At least not as much as you would if making a Manhattan.

 

[Scotto]

Makers Mark makes a fine Old Fashioned. Personally I use syrup instead of sugar, and mine is pretty close to the Hess video's, except I much prefer lemon peel. And of course.... no club soda!

 

[Noebie]

simple syrup is a wonderful thing

• 1 cup sugar
  
• 1 cup water
  
• bring it to a boil
  
• simmer for a few minutes until the sugar is dissolved
  
• let it cool on its own and store it in an airtight container

 

[millertime150]

Ok I made old fashioned drinks last night. Here is my initial conclusion on what I liked and didn't like.

In order from most to least likeable.

1) Maker's Mark, bitters, sugar, garnished with orange slice and maraschino cherry. 8/10 I liked this a lot. I followed basically Hess's way of preparing.

2) Same as first but with Seagram's 7. Ok but I wouldn't pay for it. 5/10

3) Same as first but muddled the cherry and orange and topped with a splash of club soda. 6/10

Conclusion: Don't use club soda, seagrams, or muddle the cherry or orange.


Next time I am going to make simple syrup and use the orange peel like Hess's video.

 

[millertime150]

simple syrup is a wonderful thing

• 1 cup sugar
  
• 1 cup water
  
• bring it to a boil
  
• simmer for a few minutes until the sugar is dissolved
  
• let it cool on its own and store it in an airtight container

Is this recipe better than 2 parts sugar 1 part water? 2/1 is what I found on most recipes on the internet.

 

[Noebie]

haven't tried it 2:1

 

[moojuece]

My recipe is

a "splash" of simple syrup (1:1 sugar and water)
several dashes of bitters, currently using Fee Brother's Old Fashioned Bitters. I love bitters so I always use much more than normally called for.
2 ice cubes
2 oz whiskey (typically rye, though often sub bourbon)
stir and drink

I always skip the fruit. I just don't drink often enough to justify keeping orange peels around and the cherries just seem extravagant.
Every now and again if I have some oranges in the fridge that get to old to eat I will harvest the peels, but a drop or 2 of orange bitters will give it the same taste I think