The Old Fashioned. One of the classic cocktails everyone should try. If made correctly it is the perfect sipping drink for any social gathering.
The Old Fashioned is simple to make yet hard to master. So few ingredients go into it that too much, or too little of any part can ruin the drink. You will need the following ingredients to make yours.
.25oz Demerara simple Syrup
2oz Bourbon whiskey
4 dashes of bitters(classically angostura but I will mention some noteworthy combinations)
Ice
1 orange zest
1 luxardo marachino cherry
Step 1: Begin by measuring the ingredients from thickest to thinnest in the order listed above into a mixing container.
Step 2: Fill the container with pillow ice then stir for exactly 20 seconds before pouring over a large 2" square cube of ice in a separate glass.
Step 3: Zest the orange. squeeze the zest above the the glass to mist the drink. Then rub the exterior of the peel around the rim of the glass, before depositing the zest in the glass. The juice in the peel has a different acidity then the rest of the orange. This contributes to the flavor of the cocktail. Alternatively you can heat the zest briefly with a lighter before misting the juice above the cocktail. This causes a small fireball and gives the drink a smokey flavor.
Step 4: Deposite the cherry in the glass and enjoy.
A few suggestions for bourbon include Makers Mark, Knob Creek, Knob Creek Maple, or for a sweeter Flavor Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye Whiskey.
To make the Demerara Sugar Syrup mix half and half water and demerara brown sugar in a pot. Stir and bring to a boil. Then immediately allow to cool.
For bitters traditionally angostura is used, but I prefer plum root beer bitters, or fig cinnamon.
Also its worth noting that stirring for 20 seconds is important. It allows the bourbon to melt the perfect amount of ice into water to balance the strength of the whiskey.
These small tweaks will customise, and enhance your experience. The right combinations can subtly allow you to achieve perfection.
Now for some history of the cocktail. Why is the Old Fashioned, old fashioned anyway?
It employs the bar tending style of the 1900s of simply using sugar, water, spirits, bitters, and a garnish. These are the ingredients they had most readily available, which didn't require intense storage or refrigeration. The Old Fashioned is the most basic combination of ingredients that you can use to create a cocktail. Everything else becomes a modification on this classic theme, allowing you to make drinks more sweet or sour to appeal to the imbibers personal taste. Adding lemon or lime for sour; or sugar, and fruit juices for sweet. This old school drink will stay a classic for generations to come.
Stay classy steemit,
-Barakar