Everyone is a fan of the venerable Old Fashioned. It’s perfection masquerading as simplicity. Whiskey, sugar, and bitters combine to produce a concoction that is greater than the sum of its parts.
- 2oz Bourbon/Whiskey
- 1tbsp simply syrup or 1 sugar cube
- Few dashes of Angostura bitters
But, what if I told you it is possible to improve upon perfection. I know. Let that sink in.
One way you could spice up an Old Fashioned is to play with the ingredients. Switch up sweetener and bitters, then you can end up with something like this:
- 2oz bourbon
- 1tbsp maple syrup
- Dashes of chocolate mole bitters
That is essentially a boozy chocolate waffle in a glass. Alternatively, use some bacon-fat washed bourbon and Angostura bitters and you have an amazing bacon-maple Old Fashioned.
Another way is to switch up the liquor! Why restrain yourself to whiskey? There is a whole world of alcohol just waiting to be drank. Switch up the whiskey for a good rum (Appleton 12-year Rare Blend) and you have an excellent rum Old Fashioned. Throw in some Tequila, Mescal, and Agave syrup, and you’ll get a beautifully smoky agave-based drink. Pioneered by the team at Death & Co., this “Oaxaca Old Fashioned” is one of my favorite drinks.
Hell, the national drink of Martinique, the Ti Punch, is basically an Old Fashioned:
- 2oz rhum agricole
- .5oz lime juice (instead of bitters)
- 1tsp cane syrup
From the Ti Punch it’s only a hop, skip, and a jump to a Daiquiri. But that’s for another Three Ingredient Thursday.
Cheers!
The Miksologist 