Apple Butter Old Fashioned co*cktail Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

FAQs

Is an old fashioned better with simple syrup or sugar cube? ›

Use Rich Simple Syrup

The sugar cube is one Old Fashioned tradition that can definitely be skipped. While many recipes call for it, it offers no advantage over using a rich simple syrup and has several disadvantages. Most obviously, you have to find and buy sugar cubes and a muddler.

Bourbon or rye whiskey

Consequently, some traditionalists insist an Old-Fashioned should be made with rye, but bourbon is equally correct and the choice of whiskey should be entirely up to the personal taste of the drinker. Bourbon makes a mellow, slightly sweeter drink, while rye adds more spice and kick.

While your old-fashioneds get frosty, reflect on just how easy that was. Now that you know how to batch a stirred co*cktail, you can do the same thing with Manhattans, Negronis, martinis, and all their many variations and relatives. Simply multiply your co*cktail recipe by eight and add ½ cup of water to dilute.

The classic recipe, according to most mixologists, calls for Brown Demerara sugar cubes. Sugar cubes are previously measured, allowing for consistent whiskey to bitters ratios. The Angostura aromatic bitters have a rich scent of fruits and spices and are a necessary component of any classic Old Fashioned co*cktail.

With that said, bourbon is often the go-to whiskey choice for an Old Fashioned. The relatively heavy body of the mostly corn-based spirit creates structure within the co*cktail, and its natural sweetness helps counterbalance the more astringent elements of bitters.

Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series, Jefferson's Tropics Aged in Humidity, and Larceny Straight Bourbon are among the best bourbons to make an old fashioned.

I focused my tasting on American whiskeys, stressing a balance between familiar bottles and less-famous ones that are well worth space on your shelf, though there are any number of fantastic rye-forward Canadian whiskeys that make great Old Fashioned co*cktails, such as Crown Royal and Alberta Premium.

Mix the co*cktail: Place the bourbon, simple syrup, and Angostura bitters in a mixing glass. Add the ice and stir with a bar spoon for 10 to 15 seconds. Strain the co*cktail: Strain the co*cktail into a rocks glass over one large ice cube, or cubed ice.

Besides sugar, whiskey and bitters, any other ingredients are uncalled for, though orange slices, cherries and soda water are commonly seen in Old Fashioneds. Many believe these extras were added during Prohibition to help cover up the sting of moonshine.

How many dashes of bitters are in an Old Fashioned? ›

The OLD FASHIONED - Angostura. “A thing of austere beauty: a lump of sugar, dissolved with a little water and two dashes of bitters, whiskey, a bit of ice and a lemon peel garnish.” Brad Thomas Parsons. Simple, and elegant, the Old Fashioned remains a classic in the co*cktail world.

Use aromatic bitters when you desire to add depth, complexity, and a slightly spicy kick to your co*cktails. They complement a wide array of co*cktails, including classics like Old Fashioned and Manhattan.

On average, bitters last around 5 years.

However, there's no need to refrigerate bitters. Even though there are organic compounds in bitters, the amount of alcohol acts as a natural sterilizer and preservation agent. So, feel free to leave it on your bar cart or in your liquor storage cabinets without having to worry.

Here are the basic steps for how to make an old fashioned co*cktail: Muddle the sugar. If you're going the classic sugar cube route, add it to a lowball glass, top with the water and bitters, and use a muddler (or the end of a wooden spoon) to muddle and stir the mixture until the sugar is nearly dissolved.

Simple syrup is used to allow sugar to be evenly mixed throughout a drink, particularly one served cold, by pre-dissolving the granulated sugar in water ahead of time to avoid clumping. It's also one of the easiest ingredients to make yourself—if you can boil water, you can make simple syrup.

Large cube/ King cube / Old Fashioned rocks: This is your entry-level, show-off ice. Generally measuring 2×2-inches, the idea is that you only use a single cube for less dilution in things you'll drink slowly, like spirit-forward co*cktails or a single pour on the rock(s).

Unlike sugar cubes that have yet to dissolve, simple syrup has already done the work of dissolving sugar into water. So, by the time the sweetener reaches your co*cktail, it's in the form of a liquid. You still get that element of sweetness but without the grainy consistency of non-dissolved sugar.

Old Fashioned Ingredients

Sugar cube – If you don't have sugar cubes, you can use 1 teaspoon granulated sugar and muddle it with the bitters and water. You can also use 1 teaspoon of simple syrup in place of both the sugar cube/granulated sugar and water.