An old-fashioned happens to be the most straightforward recipe, but one that probably took us the longest to perfect. The idea remains the same – spirit, sugar, water, and bitters. Quite simple, right?
However, each element tipping off more than needed can turn the drink into a rather new-fashioned drink instead.
Which is probably what made the Watergate Hotel in Washington DC price their version of the Old Fashioned for $1500. Their version, called the ‘Impeachment’, includes a limited edition 23-year-old bourbon, peaches that have been macerated in 1995 Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes, poured over hand-cut ice covered in gold leaf.
Phew! I’d stick to buying a good lot of rums with $1500 and keep practicing old-fashioneds out of it. Should probably get it right at some point.
The fan base for the drink though is undeniably unbeatable. Old-fashioned continues to remain one of the most popular drink orders in the world. It was even named the No. 1 best-selling cocktail by Drinks International in 2020.
Understandably then we had to try and perfect it with our Wise Monkey Rum. With tiny tweaks and modifications, here’s everything we tried with the classic old-fashioned.
Spirit
Wise Monkey’s Indian Spiced Rum goes perfectly as the choice of spirit as it’s got the flavor and nuances that can level up an old-fashioned. Everyone who experimented with the old fashioned stuck to this policy like an unsaid rule.
However, we did have a mixologist who broke past this and crafted an old-fashioned with a mix of Café and White Rum. Needless to say, we were impressed even then.
Sugar
This is where major tweaks were made, if at all any. Some went for crushing the sugar cube, some dissolved the granulated sugar, and then there’s the syrup way of things.
If you would like to add an interesting depth of flavors to your drink, replace the simple syrups with infused ones like rosemary or peach-lemon verbena.
Water
Best stirred with still room temperature water.
Bitters
Angostura bitters for the win.
Bitters are neutral alcohol infused with herbs, spices, fruits, roots, tree bark, and many other botanicals that we probably won’t pronounce right. 3 dashes of it are all it would take to change the profile of a drink, and we stuck by the traditional rule of three.
Fun fact:
Like many alcohols, Angostura Bitters was marketed as a medicinal tonic back in the 1800’s. By that logic, an Old-Fashioned is simply a mix of medicinal liquids – rum, bitters, H2O.
The next two elements of the drink are the ice and the citric garnish. The large ice cube placed in an old-fashioned is not just for show but a key element in keeping the drink chilled without diluting it.
Add the final touch to the drink by garnishing it with an orange twist or even a maraschino cherry.