The Old Fashioned

Mention an Old Fashioned and the first thing that comes to your mind is probably Don Draper in his suit walking into a bar and ordering this cocktail before an evening of debauchery and advertising genius. As Don Draper’s cocktail of choice then, you would think that the Old Fashioned cocktail has a bit of a retro vibe to it (as if the name were not enough); but the Old Fashioned was retro even in the 60’s. Hell it was first called “old-fashioned” in the 1880s (which makes you wonder how long ago this was first mixed).

The Old Fashioned is perhaps one of the best examples of a “true” cocktail, which is any drink based on the template that appeared in The Balance in 1806; here, a cocktail is defined as “a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters”. While that may not sound very delicious, don’t be too hasty to judge.

Even though this drink fell out of favor after the Mad Men years and is only starting to regain popularity recently, it is certainly a contender for the most distinctly American classic cocktail (although we might prefer to reserve that for the Sazarac, which, come to think of it, is actually a variant of the Old Fashioned).

In addition to its illustrious history, this drink holds a special place alongside the Martini, its name usurping the more technical name for the type of glass in which it is served: the low-ball glass.

Now that we have the historical pleasantries are out of the way, let’s get down to the details. An Old Fashioned is most commonly made with bourbon or rye as its base alcohol. While any bitters can be used (to suit the taste of your drinker or local mixologist), the most common is Angostura bitters (currently the most widely available type/brand of bitters). 

The other essential ingredients are sugar and water. While simple syrup may be used, exercise caution when using commercial syrup since you may not know exactly how much sugar you are using. It is very easy to make this drink far too sweet. For a full-sized cocktail a good rule of thumb is not to use more than one teaspoon of sugar (and in fact, we recommend using less). Similarly it is important not to use too much water. The Old Fashioned is most commonly served over ice, so adding more water will not make it more drinkable and only have the effect of diluting the drink.

With these cautionary notes in mind, what follows is how we might make an Old Fashioned cocktail:

 

The Old Fashioned

2     oz          Makers Mark

1/2 tsp         Sugar

3    dashes   Fees Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters

1    dash       Fees Gin Barrel-Aged Orange Bitters (optional)

Add the whiskey barrel-aged bitters to the sugar in an old fashioned glass. Add just enough water to dissolve the sugar and muddle until the sugar is completely dissolved. Place two ice cubes in the glass and pour in the bourbon. Stir well. Add a dash of orange bitters or a twist of orange peel to the glass and enjoy.

 

Ending this post here though would be a reductive insult to this great cocktail. The Old Fashioned is more than just a cocktail or a recipe. It’s a template, an idea. The beauty of this drink lies in not its exact proportions and ingredients but that it’s a platform for endless experimentation. Try using different bitters or bourbons or ryes; in fact, go further, try using rum and lemongrass bitters. Basically, as any self-respecting scientist says, experiment! Don’t even think about using vodka though.

Cheers!

A&B

Beta Cocktails

Cocktail and mixology books are, if you’ll excuse the cliché, a dime a dozen these days. Most of them feature hundreds, if not thousands, of recipes each either more vile or more banal than the last. In fact, you could print one by writing about 5 lines of computer code in the programming language of your choice. These books are so mind-numbingly dull to read that it would be more useful to use their pages as cocktail napkins. There are a few cocktail books that are genuinely interesting; whether it’s because they have an interesting focus or are just well written, these books are still quite derivative, reformulating well established recipes, albeit with pretty pictures and minor modifications. At best they give you an idea for a new recipe or two and help you pass some time.

Given this rather bleak landscape, it is very heartening to come across a book like Beta Cocktails. Containing recipes and a philosophy compiled by Kirk Estopinal and Maksym Pazuniak, this book(let) really pushes the boundaries of a cocktail book. Unlike most other cocktail books, this one is published by an online print-on-demand publisher. Don’t let the featureless cover throw you off; the book is filled with amazing pictures, entertaining reading and most importantly, some truly inspiring drinks.

It may not look like much but this little book contains some of the best
recipes you will ever come across.

Probably the easiest way to describe their philosophy and the general types of drink included is actually by the very first thing you notice, they do not hesitate to go heavy on the Angostura. And while that may sound like nothing remarkable, that these two are bold enough to use this bitters by the ounce in their drinks shows just how far outside the box they’re thinking. They admit to as much themselves with the Angostura Sour. Recipes that are novel and unique are exciting enough; but these two go further. The drinks they present are almost visionary and inspiring. They challenge the way you mix drinks and force you to reconsider all the tenets you held; even though it is very likely that you will not try all the drinks in this book (since it requires a minor fortune’s worth of booze and several varieties of alcohol not readily available in the states), just reading the book is enough to set your mind working and creating.

This book is definitely not for everyone. Both the types of drinks it features and the required ingredients mean that this book is both for the professionals or the insane amateurs (like us). It assumes a fair amount of knowledge of booze and how to mix it. But maybe it is this targeting that really makes this book so good. By not trying to write to all levels, these two create something special that every cocktail enthusiast can truly enjoy.

And if nothing else, this book is actually a good read (and also features some serious cocktail porn). I mean when you have a recipe featuring bourbon and Carpano Antica that ends with the phrase “and pour into the educated glass,” you know that you’re dealing with some seriously erudite mixologists.