whiskey old fashioned

An Old Fashioned is one of my favorite classic cocktails. My spin mixes sugar, whiskey and bitters with a hint of orange and a cherry on top.

When I moved to Charlotte, I struggled to find a bar that made a proper Old Fashioned.

(As an aside, hey people, it’s Old Fashioned, not Old Fashion. Seeing people write that makes me want to gouge my eyeballs out…so seeing it spelled “Old Fashion” on your drink menu keeps me far, far, away).

Maybe I was spoiled from the seven years I spent in Wisconsin. Maybe I was spoiled that my favorite bar and restaurant in Madison was named after one of my favorite cocktails (and also has some really excellent cheese curds).

Whatever it was, after a few lame attempts at Old Fashioneds that turned out more like whiskey on the rocks with a splash of soda water, I avoided my go-to order in Charlotte for a while. Four years later, I luckily have found a go-to place for my go-to drink.

But even though I know where to go when I am in need of a nod to the Midwest, we’ve also been trying to up our cocktail game at home (a $12-$16 Old Fashioned at a bar just doesn’t always fit in the budget). We’ve had a lot of fun over the past year or so cooking up concoctions that we can then sip and savor.

You can make an Old Fashioned at home with the things you already have on hand. A sugar cube, few shakes of bitters, splash of water, some muddling and a pour of whiskey later, you’ve got yourself an Old Fashioned. Channeling my favorite bars in college and law schoolI like to add a pinch of orange (plus a bit of the peel) and a cherry for garnish (sometimes two). Serve with Badger football and a rousing game of cribbage.

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whiskey old fashioned

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Ingredients

• Sugar Cube (or 1/2 teaspoon loose sugar)
• One tablespoon water
• 3 dashes Angsotura bitters
• 2 oz whiskey or bourbon
• peel of an orange
• cherry for garnish

Instructions

Place the sugar and bitters in the bottom of the glass and add the water (if you're feeling crazy, add the slice of orange and a cherry too). Muddle the sugar and bitters (and fruit, if you choose). Add one large cube of ice (or a few small ones) and the whiskey. Stir to combine. Sweep the orange peel along the rim of the glass and garnish with a cherry.

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