Old Fashioned – the original cocktail

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The drinking universe, like our own, is vast and seemingly ever-expanding. Drink lists are exploding in scope and complexity.

But among all its stars, there is one drink that shines a little brighter than all. Not only is it one of the most original drinks, it remains one of the most popular drinks and one of the most sought after by the world’s best bars. It is also a surprisingly simple drink – so simple that anyone can master it and mix it at home. The drink with a capital ‘D’: Old Fashioned .

The old fashioned cocktail

Why it is called cocktails is lost in the mists of history. There are at least a handful of good explanations, from French drinking cups ( egg cups ) to housewife tricks to get horses excited for a sale ( cock-tails ) . What we do know is that the cocktail – pure alcohol mixed with flavorings – became increasingly popular in the 19th century. Perhaps it was done to dull the flavors of cheap liquor, or it was a way to spice up the drink with invigorating herbs.

In 1806, a surprised reader writes in to The Balance and Columbian Repository in New York to ask about the meaning of the word cocktail in an earlier article. The reply reads “ a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters “. En Old Fashioned simply, as we would call it today.

And that’s how the drink got its name. The number of cocktails and the variations of each drink increased rapidly. Traditionalists who wanted a cocktail in the classic style then started ordering their cocktails. old fashioned – with only alcohol, sugar, water and bitters.

In the drinking bible Modern American Drinks from 1895, George Kappeler describes an Old Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail as follows: ”Crush a small lump of sugar in a whiskey glass containing a little water, add a lump of ice, two dashes of Angostura bitters, a small piece of lemon peel, one jigger (4,5 cl) Holland gin. Mix with small bar spoon. Serve.”.

In a roundabout way, the drink became associated with Louisville, Kentucky, and the Pendennis Club gentleman’s club. People like to claim that the drink was invented there in 1880, but that doesn’t fit with all the descriptions in earlier books. But this is probably why the Old Fashioned came to be more closely associated with bourbon, rather than being a general description. Whatever the history, the connection between Old Fashioned and Louisville stuck, and every June the festival is celebrated there. Old Fashioned Fortnight.

Recipe for Old Fashioned

The Old Fashioned is one of the drinks for which the IBA, the International Bartenders Association, has established an official recipe in its finest category: ‘The Unforgettables’. Here’s how their recipe reads

Ingredients

• 4.5 cl bourbon or rye whiskey
• 1 sugar cube (raw sugar)
• Water
• Angostura bitter
• Orange and cherry

Instructions

• Put the sugar on the bottom of a low glass
• Sprinkle with 2 splashes of Angostura, and leave to soak.
• Pour on the water and mash everything into a syrup.
• Add a large ice cube to the glass and pour the liquor over it.
• Cut a piece of orange peel and squeeze over the drink
• Stirring
• Garnish with the orange peel and cherry.

Variations on Old Fashioned

There are, of course, countless variations on the Old Fashioned.

First, the amount: many recipes call for 6 cl of whiskey instead and 3-4 splashes of Angostura. A slightly larger amount fills the glass better and you can’t really complain about that.

You can also vary the drink – there are countless variations of bourbon and rye whiskey to try, or why not try another spirit such as gin or mezcal? There are also many bitters to vary. Angostura is as traditional as it gets, but another option is Peychaud’s.

As for the garnish, lemon also appears. For a while it was popular to dredge the fruit in the drink, probably to cover up the taste of bad alcohol during Prohibition in the US.

If you want to try something new: In this year’s drink book 2022 – Vilda Drinkar – Bella Porcini mixes a Swedish Old Fashioned with gran syrup.