Classic Old Fashioned

Name: Classic Old Fashioned
Prep time: 3 min
Total time: 3 min
Ingredients: 2 oz bourbon; 1 sugar cube; 1 cherry; 1 orange slice; 2 dashes Angostura bitters; 1 dash of water

This old fashioned recipe is a simple and easy way to make this classic cocktail.

By Mark Hinds | Updated July 31, 2022

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Since its earliest days as the original cocktail, the Old Fashioned has undergone an evolution with thousands of variations.

This classic Old Fashioned recipe uses bourbon, strips out the mid-century addition of soda while keeping the orange slice and cherry that are commonly associated with the cocktail.

This recipe creates an easy sipping cocktail that lets the flavor of the bourbon come through with a hint of sweetness from the orange and cherry. If you’re making these at home, we recommend two cherries, one for you and one for the drink.

What’s in an Old Fashioned

To make a classic Old Fashioned you’ll need to gather a few ingredients. The most important is picking out a high-quality bourbon or rye whiskey. It should be something you’re happy to drink straight and should be something with a little age on it.

Once the bourbon has been chosen it’s just a matter of gathering a few other ingredients including sugar cubes, cherries, some orange slices, and a bottle of angostura bitters.

Old Fashioned Variations

There are very few cocktails that inspire variations as much as the Old Fashioned. A few of our favorites include the Umami Old Fashioned, which highlights the sharpness of good rye whiskey, and the Old Fashioned Cuba Libre, which is essentially what would happen if a classic Cuba Libre and a much younger mid-century Old Fashioned had a tawdry little affair.

Want to learn more about the history of the Old Fashioned read Take a Drink and Travel Through Time as We Explore the Old Fashioned.