The Perfect Old Fashioned? Or a twist? What are your recipes?

[dangermouse425]

My favourite cocktail is an Old Fashioned and I recently had a "Maple Old Fashioned" at a Giggling Squid restaurant, which got me thinking - what variants on the classic recipe have you tried and would recommend?

Do you have a go-to way of making the original cocktail too?

 

[dangermouse425]

Whatever that curiosity you drank may purport to be, it is certainly not an Old Fashioned. Citrus is a rarity in a stirred cocktail at the best of times and certainly not something you would expect to find in an OF!

Originally the OF was meant to be a good spirit dressed up a bit with sugar, bitters, citrus peel and nothing more. An OF is the easiest cocktail you could make, but the most complicated to perfect.

Fortunately there is an IBA official guide to start with, but this is an excellent 'standard' recipe from a superb YouTuber.

You can pretty much 'Old Fashion' anything (the original was likely made with gin) just stick with the basic recipe and tweak your amounts.

Spirit
Sweetener
Bitters
Ice

If you like rum, try a Tiki Old Fashioned.

2oz Rum (Appleton Estate Signature is a decent starting point)
0.5oz Orgeat Syrup
Dash of Bittermens Tiki Bitters / Whatever your preference is.
Stir with ice, then strain into a chilled rocks glass with fresh ice.

This is a good twist recipe, if you like Tequila and Mezcal.

Great recommendations, thanks.

And yes, it was nothing like an OF to be honest. It was way too sweet. It wasn't bad per se, I did enjoy it. It just wasn't an OF! I suppose they've got to market it somehow.

I like it with a peaty whiskey. Usually called a smoked old fashioned.
Bit my go to is a Godfather.

Good shout, I'll get one made up this weekend!