Old Fashioned A Way Too Detailed Analysis
The Old Fashioned. The grandfather of many drinks. A no nonsense, straight forward cocktail. Being the original Whiskey Cock-Tail and what I’ve been drinking a lot lately I think it’s appropriate to be the first cocktail thoroughly analyzed by me.
But rather than explaining the origin and lore of this cocktail , I want to take a look at what impact different ingredients and recipes have on this oldest of cocktails.
As there are many different sources on how to mix an Old Fashioned it can be quite irritating to find a recipe that actually works for you. I know that the Old Fashioned has been discussed in a lot of articles all over the internet, but I’m missing a detailed analysis about how the ingredients work together and what happens when you change them.
That, and my quest for more knowledge, is why I will show you how to make a simple Old Fashioned and try to see how adjusting the ingredients impacts the final flavor. I will also provide a nice twist on the age old recipe.
Elements Of An Old Fashioned
Whiskey: Both rye and bourbon offer different flavor profiles. Bourbon is slightly sweeter and rounder, whereas rye introduces a peppery bite. Either way, youll want something high in proof as this extra alcohol will stand up to the dilution from melting ice.
Try: Knob Creek, W.L. Weller Antique, Bookers, Old Grand-Dad, Bakers, Wild Turkey 101, Wild Turkey Rare Breed, or Rittenhouse.
Glass: The Old Fashioned is one of the few drinks in existence that has a glass named in its honor. The ideal glass should be between eight to 10 ounces, with a thick heavy bottom.
Ice: This is a sipping cocktail, but you dont want that expensive booze turning into a watery mess. Avoid small cubes and pick up rubber molds or invest in an ice sphere.
Sweetener: While simple syrup works well, other options are to sub in honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar. But, make sure to dilute these with equal parts water.
Bitters: There are dozens of new bitters on the market. The best, however, is still the most common: Angostura. Two healthy dashes will do the trick. Chocolate or walnut bitters work well in this drink if you can find them. I also like Dale DeGroffs pimento bitters.
Technique: The most balanced Old Fashioned is made by stirring the drink with ice for about 20 to 30 seconds and then straining that mix over fresh ice.
Garnish: Orange twist, lemon twist, or both.
Pegu Club’s Old Fashioned
2 dashes Angostura bittersOrange twist
Roland Demerara Sugar Cubes
Another raw, unprocessed sugar cube, these Roland Rough Cut cubes will also add complexity to your Old Fashioned without making it overly sweet.
Demerara just means that the sugar is unprocessed, and these pure cane sugar cubes are rich in flavor without the overwhelming caramel notes.
The brown sugar pairs well with whiskey, and its understated sweetness will offer the perfect balance.
Unlike certain brown sugars, it doesnt have a strong hint of molasses, keeping its flavor simpler.
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How To Make An Old Fashioned Drink Recipe:
Its relatively easy to make old fashioned cocktails And with the elimination of crushing the sugar and dissolving, its even easier!
Below the best old fashioned recipes for those looking to limit calories, carbs and sugar.
Do: Opt For A Quality Whiskey
An Old Fashioned is essentially a delicious vehicle for enjoying your favorite whiskey, so choose wisely . Tradition calls for rye, but many people prefer bourbon, and either works. The only other ingredients the drink requiresbitters and sugarwork together to enhance the spirit with a subtle sweetness. Over the years, the cocktail has evolved to sometimes include an orange slice, club soda and/or a cherry, but theyre not traditional to the drink.
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Classic Old Fashioned Cocktail
Happy new year !!! We’ve officially started 2018! The beginning of a new year always starts off by looking back on what happened the year before. 2017 may have been a year of some serious ups and downs, but I did manage to do something pretty awesome in September. I even got a new stamp in my passport and jetted off to Japan!
All in all, it was a pretty big year. Now, it’s time to look forward, but not without a quick *cheers* first! Which is why, at the start of get fit January , I’m sharing one of my favorite go to happy hour beverages, the Classic Old Fashioned Cocktail.
Turns out, this is the easiest, quickest drink to make ever and its just SO tasty. I’m a whiskey person myself, particularly bourbon, so it should come as no surprise that the classic old fashioned is one of my go to drinks of choice. If I had known how easy it is to make, I could have definitely saved a trip to the local watering hole and made them at home! Way easier on the wallet too.
You literally only need 6 things, plus ice. Particularly a large singular ice cube if you’re being traditional. We have a mold that forms orbs and I feel like I’m in a speak easy in New York in the 1920’s whenever we use it. It’s fabulous ????.
Literally that easy. If you find it to be too potent , go ahead and add a another splash of club soda. Also, you can add a little more simple syrup, up to 1 ½ teaspoons. I wouldn’t add a whole other sugar cube though, way too much sweet to be an old fashioned!
Use An Oxo Graduated Jigger
Before you start free pouring your ingredients into a mixing glass, remember that correctly measuring out a drink is incredibly important and the only way to get a consistently good productespecially with something as simple as an Old Fashioned. Making cocktails is more like baking a cake than cooking a dish, Kosevich says. For the fastest and most accurate pours, he recommends one particular jigger. The best jigger, the only jigger we use is this OXO graduated jigger, Kosevich says. It’s the easiest way for new bartenders and home consumers to make sure their ratios are correct. For big batched Old Fashioneds, he recommends using the Anchor Hocking measuring cup and simply multiplying your recipes by a factor of eight.
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Top 10 Ways Bartenders Screw Up My Old Fashioneds
Plus, how to make one properly.
The Old Fashioned is one of a few common cocktails for me, both when Im at home and when Im out. However, when ordering one at a bar, the likelihood of something going mildly to terribly wrong is disturbingly high.
That in mind, I present the Top 10 Ways Bartenders Screw Up My Old Fashioneds, followed by instructions for how to make one properly.
Garnish
This is not a girlie drink. I do not want a garnish with an orange peel and a cherry attached. A plain swizzle stick is fine.
Glassware
An Old Fashioned is served in an old fashioned glass. Why do you think they call it an old fashioned glass? Dont get cutesy with me. The sides of the glass should be straight, unless your bar has only stupid angled glassware, in which case Im not sure why Im there in the first place.
Bitterless
There was an Angostura bitters shortage last year, and I think a number of bartenders never stopped scrimping. 2-3 generous dashes is appropriate. If I cant taste the bitters, you did something wrong.
Default Liquor
If you are just pouring from the well instead of asking for a liquor preference, you are cheating me out of a chance to tune the drink to my mood. Unlike a vodka drink, an Old Fashioneds taste changes considerably based on the type and brand of liquor used. Whiskey, rye, and bourbon are all appropriate choices. I tend to choose different ones at different times.
Warmth
Fruit failure
Sugar packets
Cocktail shakers
Pinkification
Soda water
Low Calorie Old Fashioned Secret Ingredient
I was able to cut the calories by swapping out the sugar, or simple syrup. With an all natural, zero calorie simple syrup.
First off, I want you to know that I found this amazing, all natural ingredient all on my own. I am approached often to peddle ingredients Thats not the case here.
Im usually wary of zero calorie sweeteners and I want to stress, this should still be enjoyed in moderation. More sweets mean more craving for carbs And often thats where people gain weight.
Try this secret ingredient for my skinny old fashion recipe. You can click on the photo to add to your Amazon cart.
If you want to make this cocktail old fashioned recipe, you can use regular simple syrup! Just add 50 calories to the recipe card below
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How To Make An Old
How old is the Old-Fashioned?
This whisky cocktail is one of the most famous around. It was given its name in the 1880s when it was named an IBA Official Cocktail, but its history is a lot earlier than that.
In 1806 when a reader of The Balance and Columbian Repository asked the Editor for a definition of the word cocktail, it was described as spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters all the ingredients of an Old-Fashioned. But at the time he referred to it as a bittered sling.
Why is it called an Old-Fashioned?
The name supposedly came from the way people ordered their drinks at the bar. Its namesake apparently came from people asking for their drink to be made the old-fashioned way, using a brown spirit, sugar, water and bitters.
What whisky is best for an Old-Fashioned?
An Old-Fashioned is traditionally made with rye or bourbon, but some like to use Scotch, too.
What is the difference between a Manhattan and an Old-Fashioned?
The main difference between the two cocktails, is the ingredient used to sweeten them. An Old-Fashioned uses simple syrup, a syrup made by cooking equal parts sugar and water together, or a sugar cube, while a Manhattan uses sweet red vermouth.
Do you put a cherry in an Old-Fashioned?
You can do! No one is stopping you add a cherry, and many do. However, we love a good orange peel.
sugar cube, or 1 tsp sugar syrup
Orange peel, to garnish
Dont: Dump A Sugar Packet In The Glass
Sugar is one of the three pillar ingredients, so it deserves some thought. The classic way to make an Old Fashioned starts with placing a sugar cube at the bottom of a glass, adding a few dashes of bitters and a splash of water and muddling until its completely dissolved. This is still a great option, but many people use simple syrup for ease and convenience. Bottom line: Either will do, but absolutely never just dump in a sugar packet.
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What Is Simple Syrup
Simple syrup is essentially just sugar syrup, but its one of the easiest things for the home bartender to do to up their game.
There are 4 levels of approaching simple syrup, choose the one that is most appropriate for your needs.
Any of those first three options will work great.
But personally I think its worth it to make your own demerara sugar. Its perfect in an old fashioned and adds a little bit more of a molasses flavor, and increased viscosity to your cocktail.
How Can I Be Sure To Fully Dissolve My Sugar
If youre not using simple syrup, it is very important to fully dissolve your sugar, as a failure to do so will result in a lump of unincorporated sugar at the bottom of your glass and a very strong drink.
Using a pair of sugar tongs, drop your sugar cube at the bottom of an Old Fashioned glass with your bitters.
Now, add a little bit of water and muddle with a cocktail muddler until your sugar is completely dissolved, which can take up to five minutes.
The real secret to fully dissolving your sugar? Patience!
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Use Rich Simple Syrup
The sugar cube is one Old Fashioned tradition that can definitely be skipped. While many recipes call for it, it offers no advantage over using a rich simple syrup and has several disadvantages. Most obviously, you have to find and buy sugar cubes and a muddler. Not always easy depending where you live, and ordering online cant be done in a pinch. Even once you have obtained sugar cubes, you then have to attempt to dissolve the sugar in bitters and water. In our experience all the work has little payout- you just end up with sugar floating in your drink.
Why not use regular simple syrup in your Old Fashioned cocktail? You totally can however, since rich syrup has a higher ratio of sugar to water, it allows you to add the required sweetness without diluting the drink as much as regular simple syrup would.
A rich simple syrup is easy to make just combine 2 parts sugar and 1 part water in a pan. For home use, 1 cup sugar and a ½ cup water makes plenty of syrup. Set the heat to low and stir the mixture until the sugar is dissolved, being sure to not let the syrup boil. Once the sugar is dissolved, turn the heat off and let the sugar cool completely before using.
Make Olivers Ultimate Old Fashioned
- 60ml of Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky
- 10ml of pure maple syrup
- 1 dash of orange bitters
- 1 dash of Angostura bitters
METHOD
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Can I Use Simple Syrup
We noted above that simple syrup was not used in the original Old Fashioned recipe, but it can be a great timesaver nowadays if you use the right one.
You can either purchase or make a simple syrup that comes from demerara sugar rather than white, processed sugar.
That will ensure that youll get the complex caramel notes and depth that raw sugar offers if thats what you value in an Old Fashioned.
The Pendennis Club Myth
For decades, the creation of the old-fashioned was attributed to the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky. David Wondrich points out in his book “Imbibe!” that this is false: The club opened in 1881, but a year before that, “old-fashioned cocktails” were mentioned in the Chicago Tribune. There was even an “ambiguous newspaper squib” that mentioned old-fashioned drinks as early as 1869.
In truth, the old-fashioned formula dates back to the 1850s, if not earlier. It was made with whiskey, brandy, or gin . It was quite simply liquor, sugar , and ice. Add bitters, and you have the original definition of a cocktail.
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La Perruche White Sugar Cubes
La Perruche also makes white sugar cubes, which will offer a distinct flavor from brown sugar cubes.
White sugar cubes lack the caramel and molasses notes that brown sugar usually adds to a cocktail.
Though they both come from cane sugar, brown sugar is unrefined, while white sugar is processed to remove the molasses, which in turn eliminates the brown coloring.
If youre someone that prefers a sweeter drink, white sugar cubes are a good option for you.
Although not our first choice for an Old Fashioned, these white sugar cubes are perfect for a Caipirinha.
Oatmeal And Diabetes: The Dos And Donts
Overview
Diabetes is a metabolic condition that affects how the body either produces or uses insulin. This makes it difficult to maintain blood sugar in a healthy range, which is crucial for the health of those with diabetes.
When managing blood sugar, its important to control the amount of carbohydrates eaten in one sitting, since carbs directly affect blood sugar.
Its also important to choose nutrient-rich, high-fiber carbohydrates over refined and processed carbs with added sugar. Carb intake targets should be determined on an individual basis with the help of your healthcare provider.
This means that what you eat matters a great deal. Eating foods that are high in fiber and nutrients but low in unhealthy fat and sugar can help maintain a healthy blood sugar level, as well as improve your overall health.
Oatmeal offers a host of health benefits and can be a great go-to food for those with diabetes, as long as the portion is controlled. One cup of cooked oatmeal contains approximately 30 grams of carbs, which can fit into a healthy meal plan for people with diabetes.
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