Old fashioned cocktail

The very ultimate in old fashioned cocktails! A classic for a reason.

This is a special Doherty family recipe, perfected over time by my husband and me.

Lots of bourbon drinking, lots of faithful taste testing, lots of long nights of sipping and tweaking went into this, the most perfect of all old fashioned recipes.

It was hard work, let me tell you.

But I’m happy to present the ultimate drink. I seriously got hooked for a while, where I would travel to people’s houses with my ingredients because nothing else could possibly compare. (It says a lot about my family and friends that they didn’t see this as completely rude.)

Let’s take a look at the critical components:

1. Obscenely large ice cube
2. Demerara sugar simple syrup
3. Orange bitters
4. Cherry bitters (preferably Peychaud’s)
5. Four Roses bourbon
6. Old fashioned glass (so named for a reason; use it)

Now, if you want to start out slow, using whatever ice cubes, sugar, bitters and bourbon you’ve got on hand to appromixate this, go right on ahead. It’ll still be tasty, just not perfection. So when you’re ready to graduate to the next level, come back and buy these ingredients (see notes in the recipe below for details on where to get the goods) and make it again this way. And you’ll be in a whole ‘nother world of bourbon cocktail heaven.

Forgive me, the bar is calling my name. Here you go with the recipe. Cheers and happy drinking!

Old fashioned cocktail

Print Add To Shopping List

Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time 5 minutes Total Time 10 minutes

Serves as many as you like     adjust servings

The very ultimate in old fashioned cocktails! A classic for a reason.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup demerara sugar
• Orange bitters
• Cherry bitters
• Four Roses Small Batch bourbon
• Large ice cube tray
• Old fashioned cocktail glasses

Instructions

To make simple syrup:

1. Bring 1/2 cup water (filtered, please) to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat.
2. Add 1/2 cup demerara sugar and stir to dissolve sugar. (I turn the heat off after the first 10-15 seconds of stirring, because the boiling water will melt the sugar the rest of the way.)
3. Stir until completely dissolved, then remove from heat and let cool completely.
4. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.

To make cocktail:

1. Add about 1 tablespoon of simple syrup to an old-fashioned glass.
2. Sprinkle in a couple of drops of cherry bitters and a couple of drops of orange bitters. (My husband does equal parts of the two. I do twice as much orange as cherry bitters. Find your favorite balance.)
3. Add bourbon to your taste. (My husband adds a big splash more than I do; he likes it a bit stronger.) You may need to adjust your simple syrup or your bourbon to get it to your level of deliciousness.
4. Plop in your large ice cube, swirl to mix everything up, then sit back and sip on the most fabulous old fashioned. Cheers!
5. P.S. You can garnish with cherries or orange peels if you want/have. Makes it look fancy!

Recipe Notes

Here are the details on where I get my ingredients:
Demerara sugar is available at my grocery store in the baking aisle. You could also try Amazon.
We buy our bitters online through Amazon but they also are often available in specialty grocery stores (Dean & Deluca, Fresh Market, etc.).
Large ice cube trays are available at Crate & Barrel and through Amazon.
Four Roses Small Batch is our bourbon of choice for this drink. We drink lots of bourbons and lots of varieties, but Four Roses is the best here. Find it at your local liquor store.
Our old fashioned crystal glasses were a gift, but they are also available at any store selling drinkware. It's a standard and you definitely need some.
Stock up and get your drink on!

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
Amount Per Serving	As Served
Calories 2121kcal Calories from fat
% Daily Value
Sodium 138mg	6%
Carbohydrate 130g	43%
Sugars 92g
Protein 2g

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:

	Calories	2000
Total Fat	Less than	65g
Sat Fat	Less than	25g
Cholesterol	Less than	300mg
Sodium	Less than	2,400mg
Total Carbohydrate		300g
Dietary Fiber		25g