Whiskey · Classic · Bittersweet
Old Fashioned Recipe
Three ingredients, one stir — the drink that taught the world what a cocktail should be.
- Prep Time
- 2 min
- Method
- Stirred
- Glass
- Rocks glass
- Strength
- Balanced
Every recipe on Sipped Right is tested for taste and balance before it's published.
Last updated September 14, 2026
About the Old Fashioned
The most-cited account traces the name to the Pendennis Club in Louisville in the 1880s, where members asked bartenders to mix their whiskey the old-fashioned way — spirit, sugar, bitters, nothing more. Cocktail history is disputed almost everywhere, and this is no exception: versions of a spirit-sugar-bitters drink existed well before that story was ever attached to a name.
Ingredients
- Whiskey2 oz
- Simple syrup¼ oz
- Angostura bitters2 dashes
- Orange peel1, for garnish
1 dash in this recipe = 2 Japanese dasher-bottle dashes, if that's what's in your kit.
Method
- Measure and pour the whiskey, simple syrup and Angostura bitters into the mixing glass.
- Add a scoop of ice to the mixing glass.
- Stir for 30 seconds, until well-chilled.
- Strain the cocktail over one large ice cube in a rocks glass.
- Cut a swath of orange peel.
- Express the peel over the drink and drop it in.
Glass & Garnish
Rocks glass, over one large cube. The big cube melts slower, so the drink doesn't water out before you finish it.
Notes
No simple syrup on hand? A sugar cube muddled with the bitters works exactly as well — that's how the original version was made anyway. Pairs well with something smoky and savory, like aged cheddar or a charcuterie board.
Tools Used
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