How do I make an Old Fashioned?

The Old Fashioned is the oldest cocktail template: spirit, sugar, bitters, water. Everything else is elaboration. Learning it teaches the stirred-drink method, which covers the Manhattan, Negroni and Martini as well.

What you'll need

• Whisky
• Sugar syrup
• Bitters
• Mixing glass and ice
• Bar spoon (optional)
• Large ice cube (optional)

Step by step

1. Use a good but not precious whisky.Bourbon or rye traditionally. Something with character but not so special that you would rather drink it neat.
2. Combine spirit, syrup and bitters in a mixing glass.50ml spirit, about 5ml sugar syrup, two or three dashes of bitters. Adjust the syrup to your taste and the spirit.
3. Fill the mixing glass with ice and stir for about 30 seconds.Stirring chills and dilutes without aerating. That dilution is part of the recipe, not an accident.
4. Never shake a spirit-only drink.Shaking aerates and clouds it, and over-dilutes. Stirring is correct for anything without juice, egg or cream.
5. Strain over a single large ice cube.Large ice melts slowly so the drink stays cold without watering down as you drink it. This matters more in a spirit-forward drink than any other.
6. Express an orange twist over the surface.Squeeze the peel skin-side down over the drink to release the oils, then drop it in. It is a substantial part of the aroma.
7. Taste and adjust the sweetness next time.The right amount of sugar varies with the spirit. Note what you used so you can adjust deliberately.
8. Apply the same template to other spirits.Rum, tequila, brandy or gin with appropriate bitters all work. It is a method rather than a single recipe.

Tips

• Bitters are the most transformative and least expensive thing in a home bar. One bottle lasts years and changes every drink it touches.
• A Negroni is equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and Campari; a Manhattan is whisky, sweet vermouth and bitters. Both use exactly the same stirring method.
• Vermouth is a fortified wine and belongs in the fridge once opened. Stale vermouth is the most common reason a home Negroni or Manhattan disappoints.

Common mistakes

• Shaking it — It clouds the drink, aerates it and over-dilutes. Spirit-only drinks are always stirred.
• Using small ice cubes in the glass — They melt fast and the drink is watery within minutes. One large cube keeps it cold with minimal dilution.
• Skipping the citrus twist — The expressed oils are a large part of the aroma and therefore the flavour. It is not a garnish in the decorative sense.

Questions people ask