BourbonEnthusiast.com

Hi everyone,

I've been trolling through Degroff's book and comparing his recipe for the drink against others, most notably the one on Knobb Creek's site. Not sure if adding all those splashes of soda water are the way to go, and the Maker's we used didn't shine through.

Anyway, having some bourbon enthusiasts over for the holidays, myself included, and I was wondering if anyone here had recipe, including prep method and preferred spirit, they could recommend? I'm hoping to add it to my still-growing list of perfect bourbon cocktails.

Cheers, and happy holidays to everyone, and best wishes for the New Year.

DW.

Contact Preston Van Winkle. He has the best recipe for an old fashioned cocktail that I have tasted. I am sure he will share with you.

Thanks, Mike. We just sent an e-mail Preston's way.

Happy holidays.

Cheers, DW.

I would be interested to hear the recipe from Preston. There is a book called Imbide that has a chapter on the Old Fashion.

PaulO wrote:I would be interested to hear the recipe from Preston. There is a book called Imbide that has a chapter on the Old Fashion.

Hey, Paul,

Here you go:

Old Fashioned

Glass: Old Fashioned
Method: soak Sugar Cubes in Bitters over cocktail napkin, drop cubes in, muddle them with an Orange slice, add Spirit and Ice (half of ice and spirit at a time) and stir gently
Ingredients: 50ml Van Winkle 15yr Bourbon, Orange slice muddled with 2 brown Sugar Cubes soaked in Orange and Angostura Bitters,
G: Orange twist and a fresh Cherry (optional, just no maraschino)

Personally, I left out the cherry. Also, I adjusted the ingredients for a 2 ounce drink. Finally, I strained the mixture into the glass over ice using a mini-strainer/sifter. That prevents any pulp in the glass, gives the drink a better aesthetic, without losing any of the flavour from the citrus oils.

Damn tasty. The best OF I've ever had.

Cheers.

That sounds like a nice cocktail. I know the basic old fashioned recipe starts with sugar, bitters, whiskey, and ice. From there you can tweak it all sorts of different ways; different whiskies, different bitters, different garnishes or lack of... One thing I have discovered is that the pure cane sugar is a little nicer to use than the stuff made from beets or whatever. The way I would usually make an old fashioned goes something like this. Put about a teaspoon of sugar into a rocks glass. Add a dash of bitters (Angostura or Peychauds). Maybe add just a tiny amount of water to help it disolve. Add a thin slice of orange, and a thin slice of lemon. Muddle this together. Fill the glass with ice, then whiskey. Add a cherry. Stir it and let the ice melt a little.

I've been getting into cocktails recently and really enjoy the videos by Robert Hess (a/k/a DrinkBoy). Here's his take on the Old Fashioned:

http://www.smallscreennetwork.com/video/42/old_fashioned/

(Nonetheless, I'm going to try Preston's recipe with my ORVW 15/107!)

Hey, guys,

I should point out that instead of plain white sugar, I used brown sugar for Preston's recipe.

As I have been playing around with cocktails myself lately, I've often wondered, and was recently asked, "How much is a dash?"

I figure a shake or two? But neither response yields consistent results.

Cheers,
DW.

Great help on finding a great recipe but am puzzled about the ratio of sugar to bourbon.

50ml is about 1.7 ounces. He calls for two cubes.

See Julians recipe which calls for one cube to 4 ounces.

A matter of taste so the search continues.

http://cocktailsdc.com/post/12902529762 ... ned-recipe

I've been trying different Old Fashion recipes for a while now. I find that, like all fine drinking recipes, the ingredients are primary.

Try this one when you have a chance....

Into and Old Fashion glass... 1 rounded teaspoon Castor sugar, 3 shakes bitters, and a 3-inch strip of orange PEEL, with as little pith (the white part) as possible. Muddle this, pressing the peel into the sugar and bitters, but don't overdo it to the point the peel pulverizes. At this point the aroma should be delightful. Add to this one-third ice, 1 oz COLD water, 1 oz Sour Mash Bourbon (I prefer Henry McKenna for this drink, for its sweetness). Stir. Add another one-third ice, and another oz of the McKenna. Stir. Add a top-quality Maraschino if you like.

Notes:
-Using the orange peel is key to this drink's aroma and clarity. Be sure to slice out the outermost of the peel. The white pith is very bitter. Whole citrus, while sounding wonderful, does not belong, only its essence.
-Brown sugar or syrup distracts from and competes for your Bourbon's caramel flavors. Try the Castor Sugar. For the love of all that's good, don't add any Maraschino syrup.
-I wouldn't use an expensive Bourbon for this drink. Too much cover up. The sweet McKenna adds enough rouge-ish-ness and strong Bourbon flavors to keep the pompous attributes of this drink in line and from becoming too well-behaved.

Enjoy. -zDavid

It’s really great posts.