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    Home » Recipes » Cocktails

    Published: Feb 21, 2024 · Modified: Nov 15, 2024 by Pate Giltner 10 Comments

    How to make a perfect Old Fashioned

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    An Old Fashioned is our favorite classic cocktail, and this recipe tells you exactly how to make a perfect Old Fashioned and what bourbon, sugar, cherries, orange, bitters, and ice make the ideal version.

    An overhead shot of an old fashioned with an orange peel and cheery in the glass. The glass is on a wood cutting board with a orange and cherries off to the side.

    This cocktail's success comes down to the bourbon and ingredients you chose and how well they work together. We have tested almost every option under the sun, talked to our favorite Kentucky bartenders, and have fallen in love with this recipe!

    Bourbon is our spirit of choice, and indulging in a bourbon cocktail is our favorite way to relax during the winter months. We also love a spin on an old-fashioned just like this: Bourbon Peach Old Fashioned, Bourbon Apple Cider Old Fashioned, or this Spiced Cranberry Old Fashioned! 

    Jump to:
    • 🥃 What is an old fashioned? 
    • ⭐ Why you will love this recipe:
    • 🥘 Key ingredients
    • 🔪 How to make this recipe:
    • Here's a video showing how to make this recipe:
    • 📖 Additional good sweet and balanced bourbon options: 
    • 🧂 Simple syrup flavor options:
    • FAQ
    • Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
    • How to make a perfect Old Fashioned

    🥃 What is an old fashioned? 

    This drink is traditionally made by muddling sugar with water and bitters, then mixing that with bourbon whiskey and garnishing with an orange slice and a cherry.

    In this version, we are making a simple syrup because it blends with the bourbon so well. Then we combine that with Bourbon, orange peel, bourbon cherries, and bitters.

    ⭐ Why you will love this recipe:

    1. We tested a wide range of bourbons to find the perfect bourbon for the best cocktail.
    2. This light brown simple syrup mixes much better with the cocktail than muddling sugar and bitters.
    3. A small amount of cherry syrup makes this version perfectly flavored!

    🥘 Key ingredients

    The ingredients for the old fashioned on a wood cutting board sitting on a marble table.
    • Light brown sugar: Through testing, we've found that light brown sugar syrup creates the best flavor and mixes and balances best with the bourbon. Light brown sugar adds depth that matches the flavors in the bourbon, while white sugar doesn't lift the cocktail as much, and the dark brown sugar syrup can sink to the bottom of the drink.
    • Bourbon: Bourbon is the key ingredient in this cocktail, so using the best one that goes well with the orange and cherry flavors is key. A sweet but well-balanced bourbon is by far the best. 

    🥃 What is the best Bourbon for this cocktail?

    Old Forester 1910  is smooth and well-rounded and has notes of sweet oatmeal raisin cookie, milk chocolate, and caramel corn with a bit of spice. This smoothness and sweetness make it our favorite!

    • Bourbon Cherries with syrup: We like this cocktail slightly "dirty" and add a cherry and a ½ teaspoon of cherry syrup. Using bourbon-soaked cherries like these, Bourbon Bada Bing Cherries blend best with the bourbon. We found that maraschino cherries were too sharp and dominated the drink. 
    • Bitters: bitters are flavor extracts made with alcohol and a variety of flavors and spices. They tend to be bitter or bittersweet and are made to balance out sweet or sour cocktails. In this recipe, we use Angostura aromatic bitters, which is a delicious blend of fruit and spices. 
    • Orange peel: Right before serving, twist an orange peel over the drink to expel the oil, then rim it around the glass. This adds the slightest orange flavor and aroma to the drink.

    See recipe card for quantities.

    🔪 How to make this recipe:

    Water and the light brown sugar in a sauce pan.

    Step 1: Make the simple syrup by combining the light brown sugar and 1 cup water in a small pot and cooking until the sugar has melted. 

    The bourbon, syrup, bitters, and ice in a mixing glass.

    Step 2: Add ice to a mixing glass and top with bourbon, bitters, cherry syrup, and simple syrup. Stir to combine

    The cocktail being strained into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube.

    Step 3: Strain into an old-fashioned glass with a large ice cube. Top with a cherry.

    A hand squeezing a orange peel over the poured cocktail.

    Step 4: Twist the peel of an orange over the glass to express its oil, brush it around the rim of the glass, then add it to the cocktail.

    Here's a video showing how to make this recipe:

    📖 Additional good sweet and balanced bourbon options: 

    Although Old Forester 1910 is our favorite, these options are our runners-up for the best bourbon for this cocktail. All are sweet and well-balanced and would make a delicious drink.

    • Angels Envy 
    • Woodford Reserve Double Oaked 
    • Willet Pot Still Reserve 

    🧂 Simple syrup flavor options:

    There are so many flavors that you could add to this syrup to give this cocktail even more flavor; here are some of our favorites:

    • 1-2 teaspoons vanilla, a more pronounced vanilla flavor. 
    • 3-4 cinnamon sticks for a cinnamon cocktail, perfect for all. 
    • 1 cup pecans: this syrup gives the cocktail a subtle pecan flavor. 

    FAQ

    What's the best ice for an old fashioned?

    You can really use any ice you like, but a large ice cube will melt slower and will dilute the drink less. Most times, we opt for the large cube but sometimes want the watered-down version made with smaller cubes.

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    Print
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    An overhead shot of an old fashioned with an orange peel and cheery in the glass. The glass is on a wood cutting board with a orange and cherries off to the side.

    How to make a perfect Old Fashioned

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews
    • Author: Pate Giltner
    • Prep Time: 30 minutes
    • Total Time: 30 minutes
    • Yield: 1 drink 1x
    • Category: cocktail
    • Method: stirred
    • Cuisine: american
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    An Old Fashioned is our favorite classic cocktail, and this recipe tells you exactly how to make the perfect Old Fashioned and what bourbon, sugar, cherries, orange, bitters, and ice make the ideal version.


    Ingredients

    Scale

    For the simple syrup:

    • 1 cup light brown sugar
    • 1 cup water

    For the cocktail:

    • 2 ounces Old Forester 1910 (or your favorite sweet bourbon)
    • 2 tsp light brown sugar simple syrup 
    • ½ tsp cherry syrup 
    • 2 dashes aromatic bitters bitters
    • orange peel 

    1 cherry soaked in bourbon syrup


    Instructions

    1. Make the simple syrup by combining the light brown sugar and water in a small pot and cooking until the sugar has melted. Set aside to cool. 
    2. Add ice to a mixing glass, and top with bourbon, bitters, cherry syrup, and simple syrup. Stir to combine.
    3. Strain into an old-fashioned glass with a large ice cube. Top with a cherry.
    4. Twist the peel of an orange over the glass to express its oil, brush it around the rim of the glass, then add it to the cocktail.
    5. Serve.

    Notes

    *Simple syrup makes between 8-10 cocktails. 

    *Store syrup refrigerated in a container for up 1 month

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag me @thegandmkitchen — I can't wait to see what you've made!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Pate says

      February 21, 2024 at 10:41 am

      .

      Reply
    2. Susan says

      February 22, 2024 at 11:10 am

      Do you use a “packed” cup of brown sugar in the syrup?

      Reply
      • Pate Giltner says

        February 22, 2024 at 6:56 pm

        Yes, 1 cup packed brown sugar 🙂

        Reply
    3. Amanda says

      March 17, 2024 at 2:29 am

      This was perfect! It’s one I’ll be making again.
      I made 1 swap for the simple syrup, I used coconut sugar instead of light brown sugar.

      Reply
      • Pate Giltner says

        March 19, 2024 at 10:26 pm

        Thanks so much, and I'm so glad you liked it!

        Reply
    4. Rascon George says

      October 14, 2024 at 5:28 pm

      So your saying 1 cup packed brown sugar to how much water?

      Reply
      • Pate Giltner says

        November 15, 2024 at 1:20 pm

        1 cup water

        Reply
    5. Karen says

      October 27, 2024 at 12:01 pm

      Thanks for recipe!
      How long can you keep simple syrup for and does it need to be refrigerated?
      Thanks!!

      Reply
      • Pate Giltner says

        November 15, 2024 at 1:19 pm

        Hi! the simple syrup will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.

        Reply
    6. Tj osborne says

      March 03, 2025 at 4:49 pm

      Love this recipe. Made it and taste wonderful thx.

      Reply

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    Pate Giltner holding a cupcake

    About Pate

    Hi! I'm Pate, the blogger, recipe developer, and photographer behind The G&M Kitchen!

    Raised in the heart of Kentucky, I come from a long line of passionate cooks and bakers. The kitchen was always the heart of our home, where we transformed vegetables into delightful dishes and crafted pies and cakes that emerged from the oven. This tradition of coming together through food and cooking inspired the name of my blog, The G&M Kitchen – 'G' for my father's family, the Giltners, and 'M' for my mother's family, the Millers.

    I also believe if a recipe is missing something, it's probably bourbon.

    Learn more about me →

    Hello and welcome!

    Here at The G&M Kitchen, you will find southern-inspired baking recipes with a modern twist that are easy, elegant, and fun! Everything is made from scratch, designed for the home kitchen, and is simply delicious!

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    As featured in: thefeedfeed, Sur La Table, Bake From Scratch, Foodtography School, The Bourbon Review, Bringing it Home

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