How to make an Old Fashioned - Whiskey Cocktail Drinks

The Old Fashion is my favorite cocktail. However, I've found over the years that few bartenders know how to make one correctly. If you have never had an Old Fashioned, the best way to describe it is like a sweet Manhattan, which is mainly whiskey.

Here is my personal recipe for an Old Fashioned.

Old Fashioned Ingrediants

• Makers Mark Bourbon - This is my standard Old Fashion Bourbon, but you can use any whiskey or scotch that you like, or you can make your own whiskey. 
• Orange - You'll need two slices that are about 1/4 of an inch thick and cut in half
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• Bitters
• Soda Water (Optional)
• 3 Cherries 

Take the teaspoon of sugar, one dash of bitters, one orange slice and two cherries and place in the bottom of the Old Fashioned Glass. Muddle the fruit and sugar together. Muddle is another word for smashing. So, smash it all up real well.

Next, place two to three ice cubes in the glass. Fill the Old Fashioned glass with bourbon. Optionally, add a splash of soda water. Plop in one whole cherry and an orange slice. Stir. And. Enjoy. 

This recipe makes a sweet, but very strong Old Fashioned. While many recipes call for 1 to 2 ounces of bourbon, making your Old Fashioned this way is likely to use 3 to 5 ounces of bourbon.

The Old Fashioned cocktail came about in the late 1800s. It was called old fashioned because it was supposed to be a cocktail made in the early 1800s. The original recipe didn't call for fruit according to my bartender at a local establishment.

The original Old Fashioned Recipe

• 2 ounces of bourbon (two shots)
• 1 cube of sugar
• 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
• 1 teaspoon water
• Ice

Place the sugar and bitters in a glass. Add the water to dissolve the sugar and muddle. Add the bourbon and ice. Stir and serve.

This classic recipe doesn't use cherries, orange or lemon.