Classic Old Fashioned Cocktail
This Old Fashioned Cocktail recipe uses demerara sugar instead of regular white sugar, which adds a subtle molasses note that plays beautifully with bourbon, while the combination of angostura and orange bitters gives it depth. It's a straightforward recipe that focuses on technique rather than a long list of ingredients, and once you get the hang of it, you'll find yourself making these regularly.
Ingredients
- 1 demerara sugar cube 1 tsp of demerara sugar
- 4 dashes Angostura bitters
- 4 dashes orange bitters
- 1 tbsp water
- ¼ tsp cherry juice and a cherry for garnish from the jar of good Maraschino Cherries, like Luxardo or Woodford Reserve
- ice cubes
- 2 ounces bourbon
- orange
- 1 large ice cube
Instructions
- Place sugar cube, Angostura bitters, Orange bitters, water, and cherry juice in a cocktail shaker.
- Using a gentle press-and-twist motion rather than aggressive pounding, use your muddler to combine the ingredients in the shaker. You'll want to muddle for about 30 to 45 seconds until the sugar is mostly dissolved into a paste; the key is that you don't want big sugar crystals left behind.
- Fill the shaker about ⅓ full with ice cubes.
- After you add the bourbon and ice, stir for about 30 to 40 seconds. This isn't just about mixing everything together - stirring also chills the drink and adds the right amount of dilution from the ice, which actually improves the cocktail's flavor.Use a smooth, circular motion rather than a vigorous back-and-forth. You want the ice to glide around the glass in a steady rotation. If you have a long bar spoon, that's ideal because the extra length gives you good control, but a regular spoon works fine too. Just hold it between your fingers and rotate your wrist to keep the motion fluid.You'll know it's ready when the outside of the glass feels cold to the touch. That's your signal that the drink is properly chilled and diluted. Under-stirring leaves you with a boozy, harsh drink, while over-stirring dilutes it too much and waters down the flavors.
- Strain your drink into a fresh rocks glass over a large ice cube or sphere. The fresh ice keeps your drink colder longer since the original ice has already started melting during the stirring process.
- Take a wide strip of orange peel, about an inch or two long, making sure you get just the orange part and not much of the bitter white pith underneath. Hold it over the drink, colored side down, and give it a good twist or squeeze to express the oils over the surface. You should actually see a fine mist of citrus oils spray out. Then you can either run the peel around the rim of the glass and drop it in, or drape it over the edge as a garnish.
- Garnish with a good quality Maraschino cherry.
- Cheers!
Nutrition
Serving: 1drinkCalories: 175kcalCarbohydrates: 5gSodium: 2mgPotassium: 2mgFiber: 0.04gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1IUCalcium: 2mgIron: 0.03mg
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