How to Make a Perfect Old Fashioned (And Which Bourbon to Use)

The Old Fashioned is the cocktail that started it all. It predates Prohibition, it outlasted every trend, and it's still the drink that separates the bars that take whiskey seriously from the ones that don't. It's also one of the most frequently ruined drinks in existence. Here's how to do it right.

What you need

2 oz bourbon or rye whiskey, 1 sugar cube (or 1 tsp simple syrup), 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters, a large ice cube, orange peel for garnish. That's it. If someone's adding muddled fruit, soda water, or a splash of anything else, that's a different drink.

How to make it

Place the sugar cube in a rocks glass and saturate it with the bitters. Add a splash of water and muddle until dissolved. Add your bourbon. Add the large ice cube. Stir — do not shake — for about 30 seconds. Express the orange peel over the glass by bending it over the surface to release the oils, then run it around the rim and drop it in. Serve immediately.

Which bourbon to use

For a classic Old Fashioned, you want something with enough proof to hold up to the dilution from stirring — ideally 90 proof or higher. A wheated bourbon like Maker's Mark gives you a softer, vanilla-forward result. A high-rye like Bulleit or Four Roses Single Barrel adds more spice and complexity. For a splurge, Blanton's or a high-proof single barrel will make this drink sing.

The most common mistakes

Too sweet: use one sugar cube, not two. Wrong ice: small cubes melt too fast and water it down. Shaking it: an Old Fashioned is a stirred drink — shaking makes it cloudy and over-diluted. Skipping the orange peel: those oils are doing real work. Don't skip them.

Want to taste the difference between bourbon expressions in an Old Fashioned flight? That's exactly the kind of thing we build at a Liquor Connoisseur tasting. Book yours at theliquorconnoisseur.com.