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Old Fashioned

Old Fashioned — a rocks glass with amber whiskey over a large ice cube and an orange peel, on a cream background

The original cocktail: spirit, sugar, bitters. Broken at the root.

Bourbon (or rum, agave, cognac…) · Sugar or syrup · Bitters (Angostura, mole…) · Citrus oil · Large ice

The Old Fashioned is the original cocktail, the definition itself: a spirit, sugar, bitters and citrus oil. Four levers — spirit, sweet, bitter, citrus — and nothing else to hide behind.

Change the spirit (rum, agave, cognac), the sweet (maple, demerara, piloncillo, PX), the bitters or the technique (fat-wash, infusion). Each change, a direction.

The mother ingredient: spirit + sweet + bitter, stirred over big ice. Change one piece, keep the structure.

Method

The mould: 50 bourbon · 5 syrup (or 1 cube) · 2-3 Angostura · orange oil. Stirred over large ice. Each direction changes one piece and rebalances.

Spirit + sweet + bitter. Change one, keep the structure.

This cocktail is a case of the method. Apply it to your own collision.Open the benchWhat does it cost to pour? Cost it — cost, margin and pour cost.Cost it

The directions

One constraint, several exits

  • Old Fashioned — The Oaxaca
    Direction 1

    The Oaxaca

    Break the spirit: tequila and mezcal, agave syrup.

    40 reposado tequila · 10 mezcal · 5 agave syrup · 2 dash mole bitters. Orange.

    Agave and smoke. A modern classic.

  • Old Fashioned — The Rum
    Direction 2

    The Rum

    Break the spirit: aged rum and demerara.

    50 aged rum · 5 demerara syrup · 2 dash Angostura. Orange.

    Molasses and wood. Caribbean.

  • Old Fashioned — The Maple
    Direction 3

    The Maple

    Break the sweet: maple syrup.

    50 bourbon · 7 maple syrup · 2 dash Angostura. Orange.

    Autumnal and round.

  • Old Fashioned — The Fat-Wash
    Direction 4

    The Fat-Wash

    Break by technique: fat-washed bourbon (Benton's).

    50 bacon-fat-washed bourbon · 5 maple syrup · 2 dash Angostura. Orange.

    Silky and savory. The legendary one.

  • Old Fashioned — The Coffee
    Direction 5

    The Coffee

    Break the spirit: coffee-infused bourbon.

    50 coffee bourbon · 5 demerara syrup · 2 dash chocolate bitters. Orange.

    Roasty and deep.

  • Old Fashioned — The Piloncillo
    Direction 6

    The Piloncillo

    Break the sweet: Mexican piloncillo (panela).

    50 tequila or bourbon · 7 piloncillo syrup · 2 dash mole bitters. Orange.

    Dark caramel, earthy.

  • Old Fashioned — The PX
    Direction 7

    The PX

    Break the sweet: a touch of Pedro Ximénez.

    50 bourbon · 10 Pedro Ximénez · 2 dash Angostura. Orange.

    Raisin and dried fruit.

  • Old Fashioned — The Smoked
    Direction 8

    The Smoked

    Break the spirit toward smoke: mezcal up front.

    45 mezcal · 5 agave syrup · 2 dash Angostura. Smoked rinse, orange.

    Pure smoke. For the brave.

  • Old Fashioned — The Cognac
    Direction 9

    The Cognac

    Break the spirit and bitter: cognac and absinthe rinse.

    50 cognac · 5 syrup · 3 dash Peychaud's. Absinthe rinse, lemon.

    Toward the Sazerac. Elegant.

  • Old Fashioned — The Mole
    Direction 10

    The Mole

    Break the bitter: mole and chocolate bitters.

    50 bourbon (or tequila) · 5 syrup · 3 dash mole bitters. Orange and cacao.

    Mexican spice and cacao.

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