The Old-Fashioned
When, in the post-Civil War era, Fancy & Improved Cocktails came on the scene followed by the Vermouth Cocktail and Manhattan, people needed a way to order the more elemental Cocktail and the term “Old-Fashioned” was applied to the simple spirits-sugar-water-bitters formula. This version is an attempt to capture what happened to the Cocktail during the twentieth century–we stop short of muddling fruit but cherry syrup and stirring with an expressed orange peel give it a subtly similar effect. Rye and bourbon are both popular bases for this iteration of the drink.
INGREDIENTS
2 oz. rye or bourbon
Heaping barspoon cherry syrup
1 barspoon rich demerara syrup
3 dashes Angostura bitters
Orange twist, for stirring
~¾ oz. soda, to top (optional)
Garnish: cherry-orange “flag”
ABV LEVEL
Combine whiskey, cherry and demerara syrups, and bitters in a mixing glass. Express orange twist over mixture and drop into mixing glass. Fill three-quarters with ice and stir for 20 seconds. Strain into a double rocks glass over regular cubes. Top with a splash of soda if you wish. Garnish with a cherry-orange “flag” (an orange half-wheel arranged around a cocktail cherry with a pick through the whole thing).