A bourbon old fashioned is by far my favorite cocktail, but I’ve gotten very lazy with my recipe lately, simple syrup, woodford, bitters. Anyone have any recommendations to spice it up? What are your favorite bourbons to use?
I’m a big fan of Buffalo Trace for the bourbon personally. I also like to throw an orange peel in there as a garnish
Do you garnish? Throw some cherries in there
I do. Usually I cheap out on cherries, but last week I splurged a bit and got some Luxardos. They’re pricey, but damn are they good.
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I’m gonna have to give those a shot.
My favorite has probably got to be 2 oz spirit (for me it’s normally rum), a barspoon or two of demerara syrup, couple dashes of bitters (ango is always good, but really anything herbal that sounds good). Garnish with an orange twist or not. It’s my quick and dirty drink, if I’m going to spend more time I’ll make something else. But if you count a Ti’ Punch as an old fashioned, I’ll do that instead!
Do you make your own Demerara, or do you buy it premade?
I make my own at a 2:1. Ideally with a sous vide, but most of the time just on the stove.
My all-time favorite is Jeffrey Morganthaler’s, which uses 2:1 simple syrup and a gently muddled orange twist. Here’s a video: https://youtu.be/LufrnOktZiA
But it’s pretty simple:
- 2 oz bourbon
- ¼ oz 2:1 simple syrup
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 large orange twist
In a rocks glass, add the syrup and bitters. Add the orange peel on top with the inside facing down and muddle. Add the bourbon, then stir. Add ice, then stir again.
Don’t laugh - this was my mom’s favorite drink and for her I always did Maker’s with a spoonful of powdered sugar and twist of orange peel dropped in, and slice of orange on the side (don’t usually have good cherries on hand). Shake of angostura bitters. Never told her it was powdered sugar and she always said they were so good.
Powdered sugar sounds…interesting. Lol. I’ll try almost anything once though.
I like to get a peel of orange, peel of lemon, bitters, a little maple syrup, and a cocktail cherry. Muddle those just a little, add bourbon of choice and a large ice cube
Maple syrup sounds interesting. I’ll have to try that this weekend.
My go to is Willett rye with simple in a 4:1 ratio. Add some Angostura and that’s it. No garnish, nothing else. So simple yet delicious it’s my goto. If I’m feeling adventurous and have some available I’ll use Cinnamon simple syrup and my homemade apple bitters in the fall.
I like to really douse a sugar cube in bitters and muddle that up, with a sliver of orange peel if I have any. Then I add 1/4oz of sparkling water(usually San Pellegrino) to help the sugar dissolve and 1.5-2oz of bourbon depending on how strong I want my drink. If i want to take things easy I’ll do 1/2oz of sparkling water and 1-1.5oz of bourbon. Then drop in a big fat cube and give it a stir.
I rotate between Four Roses and Jeffersons Reserve, if I want to be fancy I’ll use Angels Envy!
