Whiskey
Old Fashioned
Three ingredients, one stir — the drink that taught the world what a cocktail should be.
Every recipe on Sipped Right is tested at home before it's published — not just written.
Origin
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.
Flavour Profile
Good for a slow night in, or the first drink of an evening where you want to actually taste the whiskey. Rich, warm, gently sweet with a bitter backbone from the Angostura. Not the move if you want something bright or session-able — this one sips slow by design.
Glass & Garnish
Rocks glass, over one large cube. The big cube melts slower, so the drink doesn't water out before you finish it.
Ingredients
- Whiskey2 oz
- Simple syrup0.25 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
- Add whiskey, simple syrup, and bitters to a mixing glass with ice.
- Stir for 20–30 seconds, until well-chilled.
- Strain over one large ice cube in a rocks glass.
- Express the orange peel over the drink and drop it in.
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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