Cocktails, as an independent phenomenon, have nothing at all – a couple of hundred years at most. The word “cocktail” itself is undoubtedly English, and its first dictionary interpretation (that is, the first mention) reads: … it is a stimulating drink consisting of a strong alcoholic drink mixed with water, sugar and beater. Thus, the Old Fashioned cocktail, aka Old Fashioned, fully deserves its name – this is the true, pristine image of a cocktail icon. Not only every bartender should know it, but also anyone who even considers himself a connoisseur of the cocktail world.
Old-fashioned is on par with such giants as a cocktail Martini, Daiquiri or, say, Mojito. The first mention of it dates back to 1895 in the book “Modern American Drinks” (1895, George J. Kappeler), which is 89 years older than the mention of the essence of the word “cocktail” (it was first deciphered by the editor-in-chief of The Balance and Columbia Repository newspaper “(Columbia County, New York, 1802 – 1811)). Cocktails with a similar composition were often met before, but this particular version was called Old Fashioned. His recipe can be translated as follows:
// * Dissolve a cube of refined sugar in a small amount of water in a whiskey glass (later called it an Old Fashion glass). Add two dashes of Angostura bitters and a small chunk of ice, a slice of lemon zest and a bourbon jigger. Stir thoroughly with a small bar spoon (probably meant an ordinary coffee spoon) and serve, leaving the spoon in the glass.
Old-fashioned was one of the first cocktails to be classified as a classic. The recipe on the official website of the International Bartending Association is presented below.
Cocktail recipe Old Fashion (build)
It was officially created at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky, the birthplace of bourbon. However, the International Bartenders Association does not exclude the use of both bourbon and rye whiskey in the composition of the drink.
Old Fashioned is served only in an Old-Fashioned glass, aka rocks, a glass with a thick bottom so that the drink stays cold for as long as possible.
Ingredients:
- 25 ml bourbon or rye whiskey;
- 2 dessert bitters Angostura;
- 1 cube of sugar;
- Several dashes of purified water.
Preparation:
- put a sugar cube in a rocks glass and drip some angostura bitters on it, add some water;
- dissolve the sugar completely and add a couple of large ice cubes;
- pour whiskey, garnish with orange slice and cherry.
Secrets of the Old Fashioned Cocktail
Traditionally, bourbon or rye whiskey is used for Old Fashioned (you can Canadian Club), but today bartenders do not hesitate to use any other elite drink as an alcoholic base. Not bad scotch will enter the cocktail, which can be supplemented with a few drops of Drambuie instead of sugar – it will emphasize the Scottish character. Old Fashion also looks good with rums, brandy, cognac and even Armagnac. In some variations, drinks are mixed, but this is the lot of experienced imbibers. In any case, the essence of the cocktail does not change – it will still be the good old “cocktail”.
A more fashionable trend is to prepare a cocktail using the Mudl method. To do this, you need to add an orange slice and a cherry to sugar and bitter, and then knead them with a muddler. This will soften the Old Fashioned, but at the same time completely disguise both the positive and negative qualities of the alcohol base. However, the respected Don DeGroff prefers this particular way of cooking – he knows exactly how to please the bohemian crowd.
Additionally, various liqueurs and beaters can be added to Old Fashioned. At a minimum, you can try to “mix” orange and traditional Angostura bitters, as a maximum, a few drops of Cointreau or Curacao liqueur, Maraschino liqueur. That is, there are practically no restrictions, and here everyone can find something for themselves to their taste and wallet. Beginners should first try the simplified version in conjunction: cane sugar – bourbon – ice – water – orange peel (you can pre-squeeze essential oils from it – American drinks go very well with citrus fruits).
More experienced drinkers should pay attention to the classic version with the Angostura beater. But the most furious sybarites should try in their own way the unique Old Fashioned with a smoky taste of mezcal: a spoonful of muscovado sugar should be dissolved in a couple of drops of Angostura and bitter Ephrodite, add a portion of mezcal to them, ice, preferably chopped off from a huge block, and olives soaked in island whiskey .
You need to drink Old Fashion after work, as they say – with a relaxed tie, for your favorite homework. Old-fashioned is, first of all, a masculine classic – a mouth-paralyzing potion, but the paralyzing effect will pass over time, but the pleasure will remain!