Old Fashioned Week is celebrated globally, this year from the 5th to the 14th of November. This annual event is a 10-day cocktail celebration for discerning whiskey drinkers who appreciate an authentic craft cocktail.
Thousands of mixologists from different bars around the globe shelve their shakers for mixing spoons to create the classic cocktail with a twist.
The last two years have seen a more subdued celebration, but there’s no reason you can’t pay tribute to the father of all cocktails in the comfort of your own home and make one like a pro.
Learn more about this classic cocktail, with helpful tips and a delicious Woodford Reserve inspired cocktail recipe from Rowan Gibb, South Africa’s Super Premium Ambassador for Woodford Reserve:
What is an Old-Fashioned?
A sophisticated blend of bourbon, bitters, water and sugar, the Old-Fashioned cocktail has roots that date back to the 1800s.
Largely still made according to the oldest known cocktail recipe, it is believed that it was founded at The Pendennis Club, a gentlemen’s club founded in 1881 in Louisville, Kentucky. The recipe is said to have been invented by a local bartender, in honour of a prominent bourbon distiller who brought the recipe to the internationally acclaimed Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.
The name originates from the way it is made, with people heading to cocktail bars and requesting for their drink to be created the ‘old fashioned way’.
Traditionally ‘the old-fashioned way’ was to take a whisk(e)y glass and add a lump of sugar, dissolving it with a small amount of water. The bartender would then add two dashes of bitters, a lump of ice and a miniature bar spoon. They would then hand it to the customer, along with a bottle of bourbon, and allow them to pour their own drink.
For many years bartenders around the global have placed their own twist on the classic cocktail.
Tips from the Pro Before you Get Started
Gibb, recommends the following:
1) Always use a nice, clear whiskey tumbler glass.
2) Use good quality ice that will keep the drink at the best temperature and last longer in the cocktail. The larger the ice cube the better.
3) Choose the best quality spirit such as Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select – traditionally an Old Fashioned is made with Whisk(e)y but bourbon offers a slightly sweeter flavour profile complimenting the drink and bringing out over 200 flavour notes.
4) Chill the mixing glass and if you’re making the drink for someone else, stir the drink in front of them for a bit of a show.
5) Importantly, don’t shake the cocktail – an Old Fashioned should be stirred and not shaken.
A Spectacle for the Senses at home – create your own Old Fashioned:
Celebrate the father of all cocktails with an Old-Fashioned to inspire your senses – try this rendition of the classic American bourbon cocktail with Woodford Reserve.
Woodford Reserve is particularly suited to the Old Fashioned, it is a super-premium bourbon crafted carefully with over 200 flavour notes (212 to be exact), it wows your senses, delights your palate, and surprises you with every new scent and sensation.
| Ingredients | Method |
| 50 ml Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select
1 tsp brown sugar 2 dashes of Angostura bitters Orange zest (for garnish) |
Add ingredients to a mixing glass.
Add ice to mixing glass and serving glass. Stir ingredients for 30-40 secs. Strain into serving glass. Garnish with a lightly expressed orange peel. |
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Not for sale to persons under the age of 18. Crafted carefully. Enjoy responsibly.
Copyright 2021. Woodford Reserve is a registered trademark. All rights reserved.
