The recipe
for your table
Place the sugar cube in the glass, add the bitters and a splash of water, and muddle everything with a bar spoon or muddler.
Add a large ice cube and pour the whiskey over it.
Stir gently for 20 to 30 seconds until the drink is well chilled and slightly diluted.
Squeeze the oil from an orange zest over the glass, run the zest around the rim and place it in the glass.
The story
The Old Fashioned dates back to the beginning of the nineteenth century, when the word ‘cocktail’ still literally referred to a mixture of spirits, sugar, water and bitters. When bartenders began experimenting more extravagantly toward the end of the nineteenth century, purists ordered their whiskey cocktail ‘the old-fashioned way’—and the name stuck. The Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky claims to be its birthplace, but in fact this classic belongs to everyone. Today, it is more popular than ever: from speakeasies to living rooms.
The right glass
The Old Fashioned is served in the glass it was named after: a low, wide old fashioned glass, also known as a tumbler or rocks glass. The wide base isn’t just for show—you need it to press the sugar cube, and it holds exactly one large ice cube that slowly cools the whiskey without diluting it. Choose a 30 to 35 cl glass with a thick base that feels sturdy in your hand. Would you also like to use the same glasses for drinking whisky neat? Then take a look at our whiskey glasses.
Schott Zwiesel Show Whiskey Glass 33.4 cl (6 pieces)
Eclat Longchamp Tumbler 32 cl (4 pieces)
Both sets — €63.98 together, with free shipping on orders over €50.
Variations & twists
Replace the whiskey with rum to make a Cuban Old Fashioned, or use tequila for an Oaxaca version. Try switching up the bitters too: chocolate bitters add a wintry note, while orange bitters make it fresher. For larger groups, you can easily bottle it in advance—only the ice and zest should be added à la minute. Looking for more inspiration? Browse all 80 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Use one large ice cube instead of several small ones: the less melting surface area, the longer your Old Fashioned will retain its flavor. Briefly flame the orange oil over the glass for a subtly caramelized aroma.
Sugar cube or simple syrup
The sugar cube is the traditional method and works well because the grains carry the bitters and orange oil as you muddle. Allow one four-gram cube, two to three dashes of Angostura, and a splash of water, and keep stirring until no grain crunches under the spoon; this takes about thirty seconds. To make sure everything dissolves, use 1 cl of one-to-one simple syrup instead. The result is virtually identical, but you miss the slow ritual that belongs to this cocktail.
Bourbon or rye: which whiskey should you choose?
Bourbon contains at least 51 percent corn and brings notes of vanilla, caramel, and gentle sweetness; rye contains at least 51 percent rye and is drier, pepperier, and spicier. Bourbon gives you the rounded version most people expect, while rye delivers a sharper one that pairs better with the sugar cube. Choose a bottle at 45 to 50 percent ABV, because at 40 percent the whiskey disappears behind the dilution from the ice. A good €30–40 bottle will do more here than a rare collector’s whiskey.
Making the perfect large ice cube
A five-by-five-centimeter cube melts about four times more slowly than the small cubes from a standard mold, which is exactly what you want for a cocktail you sip over twenty minutes. Use a silicone mold and fill it with water that you have boiled and allowed to cool; this removes some of the air and makes the cube clearer. Freeze it for at least eight hours and take it out of the freezer a minute before use so it does not freeze to the glass.
Common mistakes when making an Old Fashioned
The first is shaking it. An Old Fashioned consists only of spirits, sugar, and bitters, and shaking makes it cloudy and too watery; stirring for twenty to thirty seconds is sufficient. The second is too little dilution, because without those few percent of water, the whiskey remains sharp and closed-off. The third is muddling the orange slice in the glass, a habit from the 1970s that makes the cocktail sweet and pulpy; instead, squeeze the oils from a zest over the glass. The fourth is using too much bitters.
Frequently asked questions
What is in an Old Fashioned?
An Old Fashioned contains 6 cl of bourbon or rye whiskey, a sugar cube or a bar spoon of sugar syrup, two to three dashes of Angostura bitters, a splash of water, and an orange zest, served over one large ice cube. A cocktail cherry is optional, but not essential.
What is the original recipe for an Old Fashioned?
The original is the foundational form of the cocktail: spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. Muddle the sugar cube with the bitters and a splash of water in the glass, add one large ice cube and the whiskey, and stir for twenty to thirty seconds until everything is chilled.
How do you make an Old Fashioned whiskey cocktail?
Dissolve the sugar with the bitters and a little water in the glass, add one large ice cube, pour 6 cl of whiskey over it, and stir gently until the drink is cold and slightly diluted. Finally, squeeze the oils from an orange zest over the glass and place the zest in it.
Which glass is used for an Old Fashioned?
The low, wide glass that gave the cocktail its name: an Old Fashioned glass or tumbler holding 30 to 35 cl, with a thick base. You need that wide base to muddle the sugar cube, and it fits one large ice cube perfectly; see our Old Fashioned glasses.
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