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!

Yield: as many as you like

Old fashioned cocktail

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

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the simple syrup:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup demerara sugar

For the cocktail:

• Orange bitters
• Cherry bitters (such as Peychaud's)
• Bourbon (I love Four Roses or Bulleit)
• Large ice cube tray
• Optional: cherry, orange peel for garnish

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 the sugar completely. (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 1-2 tablespoons of simple syrup to an old-fashioned glass.
2. Add bourbon to your taste, depending on how strong you want your drink. You may need to adjust your simple syrup or your bourbon to get it to your level of deliciousness.
3. Sprinkle in a couple of drops of cherry bitters and a couple of drops of orange bitters.
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!

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.). We like Peychaud's cherry bitters and Fee Brothers orange bitters.

Large ice cube trays are available at Crate & Barrel and through Amazon.

Four Roses Small Batch is our bourbon of choice for this drink. You can use Bulleit or another bourbon, but do make it a quality bourbon.

Our old fashioned crystal glasses were a gift, but they are also available at any store selling drinkware, such as Crate & Barrel, Bed, Bath & Beyond, etc. It's a standard type of glass and you definitely need some. 🙂

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 150