Old Fashioned Recipe: Whiskey, Bitters and Sugar
An Old Fashioned puts whiskey first, with a little sugar and aromatic bitters to round out the drink. Our house recipe uses 50 ml whiskey, 10 ml simple syrup and four dashes of Angostura. Build it in a rocks glass and stir with ice.
Ingredients for one Old Fashioned
- 50 ml bourbon or rye whiskey
- 10 ml simple syrup, made with equal weights of sugar and water
- 4 dashes Angostura bitters
- Ice cubes, preferably a large cube for serving
- A strip of orange peel
How to make it
- Add the whiskey, syrup and bitters to a rocks glass.
- Add ice and stir until chilled. Taste as you stir: melting ice gradually softens the drink.
- Squeeze the orange peel over the glass to release its oils, then add it as a garnish.
For the syrup, dissolve 50 g sugar in 50 g water and let it cool before measuring. A dash is a small shake from a bitters bottle, not a shot. Bottle tops dispense different amounts, so adjust the bitters to taste.
Bourbon or rye?
Bourbon often brings vanilla and caramel notes; rye commonly gives a spicier profile. Both work. Start with a whiskey you enjoy, then adjust the syrup to suit it. For a less sweet result, begin with 5 ml syrup and add more if needed.
Old Fashioned questions
Can I use a sugar cube?
Yes. Omit the syrup, moisten a sugar cube with the bitters and a little water, and crush and stir until dissolved before adding whiskey and ice. Cube sizes vary, so this is an alternative method, not an exact substitute for 10 ml syrup. Compare the IBA sugar cube recipe.
How is it different from a Manhattan?
An Old Fashioned uses sugar to sweeten whiskey; a Manhattan uses sweet vermouth. Neither needs citrus juice in this version. See our cocktail glass guide for rocks glasses and other serving options.
Know someone whose usual is an Old Fashioned? Explore our Old Fashioned gift guide for cocktail-inspired caps and T-shirts.
