Old Fashioned Week 2021

[ByMyBeard]

Apparently, this is a thing. I'm game. Though I typically haven't enjoyed many OFs that I've made at home, perhaps this is the opportunity to find the right combo. Anyone have a favorite recipe they follow? I have store-bought simple syrup that I'll be using. I plan to use the same recipe each night, and change out the bourbon. Happy OF Week, B&B.

Old Fashioned Week - https://oldfashionedweek.com/

 

[Toothpick]

I don’t think I have ever had an Old Fashioned. Never a huge fan of whiskey.

 

[Ponycarman]

So far the old fashioned has been the main mixed drink I've made at home. What I do tends to change based on my mood so I don't really have a set favorite recipe. I'm still very much a beginner with spirits and mixed drinks but this is what I usually do.

2oz of boubon. - I've never tried a rye whiskey but do tend to use bourbon of higher rye percentage or a more spicy whiskey.

Some mixture of bitters- Very unprecise but usually 2 to 4 shakes of angostura aromatic bitters and or their orange bitters. Just depending on how much spices or citrus I want to taste.

Syrup- usually a barspoon or teaspoon of simple syrup. But I have tried maple syrup before and it was quite good too. I tend to go lower on the sweeting as bourbon is pretty sweet already. I like to taste the whiskey through it and not cover it up.

Fruit- I believe an orange peal is traditional but I never seem to have oranges around to take peel from. Lately I have been enjoying cocktail cherries. They tend to add some sweetness but the cherry flavor compliments whiskey nicely. Also if I'm adding orange bitters It already has some citrus flavors added. Could probably completely leave out the syrup and use the cherry to sweeten with good effect too. They come in a syrup looks like.

Ice to your liking. I grabbed some large cube and ball trays a while back. Really like the large cube ones. Seems to stick around longer than the regular half moon cubes from the fridge and the ball shaped ice.


Enjoy! This was the most recent

 

[FL shaver]

Went out the other night and regrettably ordered a smokey birch OF. I don’t know how the smoke was introduced, but it tasted toxic (I guess all alcohol is!). Must have been smoked syrup of some sort. Could not finish it. The classic for me only.

 

[ewk]

Ice, bourbon, and a splash of lemon juice or lime juice. Not a true old fashioned, but it meets my minimalist/lazy approach to mixology. Enjoying one at the moment. Cheers.

 

[02flhtci]

My recipe is to muddle together in a tall glass
1 slice orange
2 or 3 cherries (Traverse City cherries. It does make a difference)
1 sugar cube or 1 tsp simple syrup
Couple dashes of Angostura Bitters

Add 2 shots of bourbon
Fill the glass with ice and top off with 7-Up or Squirt.

 

[mio_cuggino]

I'm partial to the Don Draper recipe for this.
As soon as I find it, I will post it. I don't want to mess it up.
And if someone else posts it before me, that's fine too

 

[Tirvine]

A scant teaspoon of turbinado sugar, 4 shakes of Angostura bitters, a tiny bit of water. Stir to dissolve the sugar partially. Plunk in a Luxardo cherry, orange wheel optional. Add your desired amount of ice. Fill the glass with the whiskey of your choice. Put in a demitasse spoon and stir the drink. For OFs I like Knob Creek 9 YO or Rittenhouse BIB. They obviously make very different drinks, but both are awfully good. The last few grains of whiskey infused turbinado and the cherry make a fine dessert or, if you add more whiskey, a decent base for a second. Just freshen ice if needed and stir.

 

[ByMyBeard]

I ended up using the recipe from the OF website. Though I subbed a different bourbon.
2oz Bourbon
0.25oz Simple Syrup
3 dashes Angstora
Orange swath

I believe it was a bit too sweet, though I think I'll stick with this recipe as I compare with other bourbons. I may have gotten an extra dash of bitters in as well, and if I did, it was 1 too many. I typically don't do cocktails, as I'm too lazy to measure or hunt around for stuff. But it was a nice change of pace.

 

[mio_cuggino]

OK, here's what I use...
2 oz.(50ml) rye
3 dashes of Angostura bitter
splash of water (I sometimes use Sprite or 7up)
1 tsp of superfine sugar (or a sugar cube)
1 orange wedge

Process here.

 

[ByMyBeard]

I decided to try a budget OF last night and went with JW Dant. I wasn't expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised. It did not have the complexity of the WT101 version, but is not something I'd turn down. I could see myself using WT again, but likely won't use Dant here. Which perfectly matches my feelings towards purchasing the bottles as well.

 

[ByMyBeard]

Last night, I went the other direction and used one of my favorite's in Four Roses Single Barrel. May have had an extra dash of bitter again, which is why I'm NOT a bartender. Image in the "What are you drinking tonight" thread.

 

[Davidkimberly]

I don’t think I have ever had an Old Fashioned. Never a huge fan of whiskey.

Try one with rum. I tried one while in Puerto Rico and loved it.

 

[ByMyBeard]

Try one with rum. I tried one while in Puerto Rico and loved it.

Interesting. I believe folks in Wisconsin enjoy a Brandy Old Fashionend. I suppose subbing for your liquor of choice is acceptable.

 

[sentrydriver]

I didn’t know it was OF week. I just had one the other night as a change of pace. Buffalo Trace bourbon, Angostura bitters, simple syrup, a slice of orange skin and a home-marinaded cherry. I used the traditional ”two rocks glasses” method of building in one and straining over a large ice cube into the other with a julep strainer.

 

[bobmsp]

Interesting. I believe folks in Wisconsin enjoy a Brandy Old Fashionend. I suppose subbing for your liquor of choice is acceptable.

Wisconsin-style Brandy Old Fashioneds are more like a dessert drink:

 

[FarmerTan]

My recipe is to muddle together in a tall glass
1 slice orange
2 or 3 cherries (Traverse City cherries. It does make a difference)
1 sugar cube or 1 tsp simple syrup
Couple dashes of Angostura Bitters

Add 2 shots of bourbon
Fill the glass with ice and top off with 7-Up or Squirt. View attachment 1347462

Yes, it does make a difference my friend!

 

[Four for Luck]

Hi, I’m Lee. I am a scotch drinker. We were on vacation the last few days. We went to a main stay restaurant and I remembered this thread. I tried the “house” OF. There were “notes” I enjoyed, but it left me wanting.
I’ll try again. Might find one I like as much as scotch (don’t like all of them).

 

[jesseix]

OF with Rod & Hammer bourbon and Peychaud’s bitters.

 

[ByMyBeard]

I wrapped up OF week with a couple more. OF1910 - which ended up tasting a LOT like sweet tea for some reason. Then went back to WT101, but subbed a bourbon barrel aged maple syrup for the simple syrup. That wasn't as huge a change as I had expected, but was pretty nice.

What did I learn from this week? A few things.
1) I'm too lazy to make cocktails on a regular basis.
2) I believe there's a point where the higher quality bourbon doesn't add more to the drink. Not sure where, but I enjoyed the WT OFs I made as much or more than the 1910 and 4RSB.
3) I need to work on aiming my bitter dashes.

I'll post the last images in What Are You Drinking".