Old Fashioned Cocktail

Categoria : Pre-dinner

Mise en place : Bicchiere Old-Fashioned , Ghiaccio , Muddler , Bourbon o Rey Whiskey, Zolletta di Zucchero , Angostura , Fetta d'Arancia e Ciliegina al Maraschino.

In cl

4.5 cl Bourbon or Rye whiskey

2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

1 sugar cube

Few dashes plain water

In once

1 1/2 oz. Bourbon or Rye whiskey

2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

1 sugar cube

Few dashes plain water

Vecchia ricetta From "Modern American Drink" by George J. Kappeler 1895

The Whiskey Cocktail , Old-Fashioned

Dissolve a small lump of sugar with a little water in a whiskey-glass; 

add two dashes Angostura bitters, a small piece ice, a piece lemon-peel, one jigger whiskey. 

Mix with small bar-spoon and serve, leaving spoon in glass.

Guarnizione : mezza fetta d’arancia e ciliegia al maraschino

Tecnica di procedimento : (Build) direttamente nel bicchiere.

Procedimento: adagiare la zolletta di zucchero all'interno del bicchiere e bagnarla con alcune gocce di angostura e uno spruzzo di soda water.

Schiacciare la zolletta con il muddler e riempire di ghiaccio il bicchiere.

Versare la dose di Whiskey (a richiesta)  per poi guarnirlo.

Nel primo ricettario Iba del 1961 con la codifica :

Old Fashioned

1 zolletta di zucchero imbevuta di 2 gocce di Angostura

1/2 fetta d'arancia

1/2 fetta di limone

2 ciliegie al Maraschino

1 cubetto di ghiaccio cristallino

50 g di Bourbon Whiskey

1 spruzzo di Soda Water o selz ghiacciati.

Si prepara nell' apposito bicchiere.

Bicchiere old fashioned o medio tumbler.

Nel secondo ricettario Iba del 1987 con la codifica :

Old-Fashioned (Whiskey)

In an old-fashioned glass, put a dash

of Angostura bitter overt a quarter

lump of sugar

crush the all with a dash of soda

Fill the glass with ice

Add one measure of Whiskey (4 cl)

Stir

Decoration:

1/2 slice of orange

lemon peel

two cherries

Nel terzo ricettario Iba del 1993 con la codifica :

Old Fashioned

1 misura (4 cl.) di Bourbon, Rye o Scotch whisky come da richiesta

1 zolletta di zucchero

2 o 3 gocce d'Angostura

In un bicchiere old fashioned porre la zolletta di zucchero

imbevuta di Angostura, aggiungere uno spruzzo di seltz e rompere la zolletta con cucchiaio da bar.

Riempire di ghiaccio il bicchiere, aggiungere whis(e)y.

Guarnire con mezzo trancio d'arancia, una scorza di limone ed una ciliegina.

Servire con uno stir.

Nel quarto ricettario Iba del 2004 (categoria Pre-dinner) con la codifica :

Old Fashioned

4 cl Bourbon, Scotch or Rye (as request)

1 Sugar Cube

2 - 3 Angostura Bitters

Method : Place sugar cube in glass and saturate with Bitters,

add a dash of Soda Water & muddle

until dissolve. Fill glass with ice and add Whisky

Glass : Old Fashioned

Garnish : Slice of orange or twist of lemon & cherry, stirrer

Nel quinto ricettario Iba del 2012 (categoria The Unforgettables) con la codifica :

OLD FASHIONED 

Before Dinner Cocktail

4.5 cl Bourbon or Rye whiskey

2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

1 sugar cube

Few dashes plain water

Place sugar cube in old-fashioned glass and saturate with bitters, add a dash of plain water.

Muddle until dissolve. 

Fill the glass with ice cubes and add whisky. 

Garnish with orange slice and a cocktail cherry.

Storia

Nel 1951 Jack Townsend e Tom Moore McBride pubblicano il loro ricettario “The Bartender's Book” un libro completo che non si riserva solo di scrivere unicamente le ricette dei classici della miscelazione; ma anche di delineare una linea storica su alcune importanti bevande miscelate.

Nel caso dello storico “Old-Fashioned Cocktail” ci traccia quello che è la sua origine; sempre se ad oggi abbiamo nuove origini.

“The Old-Fashioned,according to The Gun Club Drink Book, probably was the first American cocktail. In its original form, it surely was nothing more than a Whisky Toddy. It acquired its present decorations-during Prohibition. During that sorry period, the formula was changed to include such horrors as Italian vermouth, juice of maraschino cherries, or curacao, to cover the taste of the liquor. 

The Old-Fashioned was one of the old-time cocktails that was bottled for picnics, and that fashion, out  of date for half a century, has been revived at no less an oasis than the Colony Bar, according to lIes Brady in his' book, The Colony. People order a dozen or so mixed and take them home. A version of the Old-Fashioned is the Bourbon Society Cocktail, which is merely bourbon, small ice cubes, and a twist of lemon peel. 

According to Marco at the Colony, the Old-Fashioned was FDR's favorite drink. He liked it without froufrou. Some places now call this a "simplified" Old-Fashioned. The addition of the garbage, as a matter of fact, changes the whole character of the Old-Fashioned; from being an aperitif it becomes a sweet drink. It would be interesting to see the reaction of Colonel James E. Pepper to a fruit-laden Old-Fashioned. Colonel Pepper was' the proprietor of a celebrated Kentucky distillery, and the drink was supposedly originated by a bartender at the Louisville's Pendennis Club, of which Colonel Pepper was a member.”

Precedentemente al libro di Jack Townsend e Tom Moore McBride a darci un riferimento storico sono due importanti ricettari come; “The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Days” del 1931 e “Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book” del 1934, entrambi scritti dalla stessa mano, Albert Stevens Crockett, importante giornalista dei tempi passati.

1931 - The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Days by A.S.C.

"This was brought to the old Waldorf in the days of its "sit-down" Bar, and introduced by, or in honor of, Col. James E. Pepper, of Kentucky, proprietor of a celebrated whiskey of the period. The Old-fashioned Whiskey cocktail was said to have been the invention of a bartender at the famous Pendennis Club in Louisville, of which Col. Pepper was a member".

stessa referenza riportata nel successivo libro del 1934.

La leggenda dunque ci racconta che il cocktail “Old-Fashioned" sia stato creato al Pendennis Club in Louisville in Kentucky, per mano del barman del club di quei anni lontani.

Per poi così divenire popolare grazie ad uno dei membri dello stesso club, il colonnello James E. Pepper che lo diffuse successivamente al bar del Waldorf-Astoria Hotel di New York.

Il Pendennis Club è tutt’ora un club privato fondato nel 1881, il quale prese il nome dal romanzo di William Makepeace Thackeray , "Pendennis" (1848–1850).

Il Club non è solo il luogo di nascita di uno dei cocktail più storici ma bensì è anche conosciuto per uno dei loro storici dipendenti , Henry Bain (1863-1928).

Henry fu l'ideatore della omonima salsa "Henry Bain's Famous Sauce", che era resa disponibile solo per i propri soci e ospiti.

Un altra curiosità sul Pendennis Club è il "Old Fashioned Ball" , un ballo annuale per festeggiare il cocktail creato nel Club (l'evento offre una degustazione di Bourbon whiskey).

James E. Pepper è stato l'ultimo di una famiglia di distillatori .

Suo nonno era Elia Pepe che in Kentucky cominciò nel 1780 a distillare whiskey.

Nel 1867 con la morte di Oscar Pepper (Padre di) , james E. Pepper prenderà le redini della distilleria.

Nel 1870 si trasferirà a New York , per poi vendere la distilleria di famiglia  "Labrot & Graham's Old Oscar Pepper Distillery" oggi conosciuta come "Labrot & Graham - Woodford Reserve".

Fu proprio in quei anni che Pepper diffuse il "Cocktail Old-Fashioned" al bar del Waldorf-Astoria Hotel di New York.

Per molti la leggenda non è che altro che un avvenimento storico che non da certezze sulla data e sul luogo di creazione dell' "Old-Fashioned", ma bensì che diede un impulso alla popolarità del cocktail.

E che oggi , personalmente , rende più affascinante e misterioso di quello che resta di uno dei più importanti classici della miscelazione. 

Alcuni sosterrebbero che il drink sia la metamorfosi di un' altro ed importante cocktail e cioè il "Cocktail Whiskey”; di cui troveremo uno dei primi riferimenti nel il manuale del professore Jerry Thomas.

Per molti altri la data più concreta e certa sia datata , 13 maggio del 1806, quando per la prima volta apparve sul “The Balance and the Columbian Repository”, il termine “cock-tail”. 

Altri come Jack Townsend e Tom Moore McBride ci riportano nel loro libro del 1951 il cocktail “Old-Fashioned” è probabilmente la metamorfosi del “Whisky Toddy”.

Un drink che nel tempo ha assunto una nuova concezione, una nuova veste, diventando uno dei più importanti classici, il cocktail “Old-Fashioned”.

Un drink semplice che successivamente ha assunto altri ingredienti da vermouth al curaçao, arrivando a più svariate decorazioni.

Come ci lascia scritto Jack Townsend e Tom Moore McBride, sarebbe interessante vedere la reazione del colonne James E. Pepper davanti a tutte questi nuove proposte.

Timeline

1806 - From "The Balance and the Columbian Repository"

Cock-tail, then is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters it is vulgarly called a bittered sling

1862 - From  "Bon Vivant's Companion-o-How to Mix Drinks" by Jerry Thomas

Cocktail Whiskey

1883 - From “Evening star” - December 04

1885 - From “La cuisine creole” By Lafcadio Hearn

1890 - From “The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer” - August 03

1895 - From “The Mixologist” by C. F.

1895 - From  "Modern American Drink" by George J. Kappeler 

The Whiskey Cocktail , Old-Fashioned

"Dissolve a small lump of sugar with a little water in a whiskey-glass; 

add two dashes Angostura bitters, a small piece ice, a piece lemon-peel, one jigger whiskey. 

Mix with small bar-spoon and serve, leaving spoon in glass."

1898 - From “Cocktails - how to make them. Providence” - Livermore & Knight Co.

1900 - From “Harry Johnson's Bartenders' Manual” by Harry Johnson

1900  - From “The 20th century guide for mixing fancy drinks” by James C. Maloney

1900 - From “Toasts and Cocktails” By Judge & Dolph Drug Company

1903 - From "Daly's Bartenders' Encyclopedia" by Tim Daly

1904 - From “Apllegreen's Bar Book” by John Applegreen

1904 - From "Drinks as they are Mixed" by Paul E. Lowe 

Cocktail, Old Fashioned.

Use old-fashioned cocktail glass. 

Sugar, 1 lump. 

Seltzer,1 dash, 

and crush sugar with muddler. 

Ice, one square piece. 

Orange bitters, 1 dash. 

Angostura bitters, 1 dash. 

Lemon peel, 1 piece. 

Whiskey, 1 jigger. 

Stir gently and serve with spoon.

1905 - From “The Gorham cocktail book”

1906 - From “Louis' Mixed Drinks” by Louis Muckensturm

1908 - From "The World's Drinks and How To Mix Them" by William "Cocktail" Boothby

1909 - From “Der Mixologist” by Carl A. Seutter

1910 - From "Jack's Manual" by Jack. A. Grohusko

1912 - From “Wehman Bros Bartenders Guide How to Mix Drinks”

1913 - From “Straub's manual of mixed drinks” by Jacques Straub

Old Fashioned Cocktail

1 dash Angostura bitters. 

2 dashes orange bitters. 

Piece of cut loaf sugar. 

Dissolve in two spoonfuls of water. 

1 jigger liqueur as desired. 

Serve in old fashioned glass.

1917 - From "The Ideal Bartender"  by Tom Bullock

1917 - From "The Reminder: Up-to-date Bartenders' vest pocket guide" by J. A. Didier

Old-Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail

Use old-fashioned cocktail glass. 

1 lump of loaf sugar. 

1 dash of syphon water. 

1 dash of Aromatic bitters 

Crush sugar with muddler. 

1 slice of lemon or peel. 

1 or 2 pieces of ice. 

1 drink of whiskey 

Serve with small bar spoon in glass.

1920 - From “Barista - Guida Del Barman” by Ferruccio Mazzon

1920 - From “For Snake Bites or Something”.

1922 - From "Cocktails: How to Mix Them" by Robert Vermeire

Old-Fashioned Cocktail

Put a piece of sugar in a tumbler with a strong bottom and soak with Angostura Bitters. 

Reduce it with a muddler or spoon, 

add ¾ gill of Rye Whisky and a lump of ice. 

Stir up and drop a little lemon-peel squeezed in the glass. 

Serve a glass of iced water (a chaser) at the same time, to drink afterwards. 

It should be noted that the old-fashioned cocktail is prepared and served in the same glass.

1922 - From "ABC of Mixing Cocktails" by Harry McElhone

198. Old-Fashioned Whisky Cocktail

Take a small tumbler and put into it 4 dashes of Angostura Bitters, 

1 lump of ice, 

1 glass Canadian Club Whisky, 

1 tablespoonful Castor Sugar. 

Stir well until Sugar is dissolved, 

then squeeze Lemon Peel on top and serve in same glass as mixed.

1923 - From "Valentine's Manual of Old New York" by Henry Collins Brown

1927 - From “370 Recettes de Cocktails” par Jean Lupoiu

1927 - From “Barflies and Cocktails” by Harry and Wynn

1927 - From “Cocktails” by Piero Grandi

1927 - From “El Arte De Hacer Un Cocktail Y Algo Mas”

1928 - From “Goderham and Worts ABC of Mixing cocktails”

1930 - From “Club de Cantineros de la Republica de Cuba Manual Oficial”

1930 - From “The Drinks of Yesteryear a Mixology”

1930 - From “The Saloon in the Home” by Ridgely Hunt and George S. Chappell 

1930 - From "The Home Bartender's Guide and Song Book" by Charlie Roe and Jim Schwenck

Old-Fashioned Cocktail

A recipe direct from the famous Manhattan Club of New York. If you don't know this one, you just "ain't edjicated."

One lump sugar dissolved in one-fourth glass water 

Two dashes Angostura Bitters 

One jigger Rye 

One piece of ice 

One piece of Lemon Peel 

Stir - serve

1930 - From "The Savoy Cocktail Book" by Harry Craddock

1931 - From "Old Waldorf Days Bar" di Albert Stevens Crockett

Old-Fashioned Whiskey

"This was brought to the old Waldorf in the days of its "sit-down" Bar, and introduced by, or in honor of, Col. James E. Pepper, of Kentucky, proprietor of a celebrated whiskey of the period. The Old-fashioned Whiskey cocktail was said to have been the invention of a bartender at the famous Pendennis Club in Louisville, of which Col. Pepper was a member".

One-quarter lump Sugar 

Two spoons Water 

One dash Angostura 

One jigger Whiskey 

One piece Lemon Peel 

One lump Ice 

Serve with small spoon

1932 - From "The Art of Mixing" by Wiley and Griffith

Old-Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail

Grab a good sized heavy bottomed glass and put into it 4 dashes Angostura bitters, 

1 cube of ice, 

1 shot Rye Whiskey, 

1 teaspoonful sugar. 

Stir well until sugar is dissolved, and squeeze lemon peel on top. 

Drop in a piece of fresh pineapple, a slice of an orange, and offer.

1933 - From "What'll You Have?" by Julien J. Proskauer

The Old-Fashioned Cocktail

1 lump sugar 

4 dashes Angostura Bitters 

1 lump ice 

1 glass Rye Whiskey 

1 slice orange 

1 cherry 

Stir well until Sugar is dissolved, then squeeze lemon peel on top and serve in same glass used for mixing.

1933 - From “The Home Bartender”

1934 - From “Tom and Jerry's Bartender's Guide”

1934 - From "The Mixologist : For Correct Drinks" by A. J. Bailey

Old Fashioned Cocktail

Use old fashioned cocktail glass. 

One piece loaf sugar. 

Two dashes peychaud bitters. 

One dash seltzer. 

Crush sugar with muddler. 

One cube of ice. 

Twist of lemon peel. 

One jigger bourbon whiskey. 

Stir well and serve with small barspoon. (Whatever liquor desired may be substituted for bourbon.)

1934 - From "Irvin S. Cobb's Own Recipe Book" by Irvin S. Cobb

Old Fashioned Whiskey:

One-half piece Sugar, 

2 dashes Angostura Bitters, 

11/2 jiggers Paul Jones or Four Roses Whiskey, 

1 slice Orange, 

1 slice Lemon, 

1 slice Pineapple, 

2 dashes Curacao. 

Muddle sugar and bitters with pestle. 

Add cube of ice, whiskey and Curacao and decorate with fruit. 

This cocktail was created at the Pendennis Club in Louisville in honor of a famous old-fashioned Kentucky Colnel. I claim it was worthy of him.

1934 - From "100 Famous Cocktails" by Oscar of the Waldorf

Old Fashioned

One lump sugar 

One dash Abbott's Bitters 

One jigger Rye Whiskey 

One-half slice orange, 

One cherry 

Stick Pineapple 

Dash of siphon, 

lump of ice 

Serve in old fashioned glass

1934 - From "What Shall We Drink?" by Magnus Bredenbek 

1934 - From "The Artistry of Mixing Drinks" by Frank Meier

1934 - From "Burke's Complete Cocktail and Tastybite Recipes" by Harman Burney Burke

Sempre nel “Burke’s complete Cocktail & Drinking Recipies” il Cocktail Old-Fashioned è stato classificato 4° tra “I 15 più famosi cocktail del mondo” mentre il Whiskey  Cocktail viene classificato 12°.

The World's 15 Most Famous Cocktails in 1934

1935 - From "The Art of Mixing Drinks" by Ginrum Alpha Company

Old Fashioned Cocktail

1 Lump of sugar 

1 Teaspoonful of Carbonated water 

2 Dashes bitters 

1 Jigger whisky

In a thick-bottomed old fashioned glass, crush the sugar in the water and bitters, add the whisky and a cube of ice, stir and dress with a cherry, slice of orange and a twist of lemon peel.

1935 - From “Along the wine trail - an anthology of wines and spirits” by G. Selmer Fougner

1936 - From “200 selected drinks” by Knut W. Sundin

1936 - From "Cocktail Fashions of 1936" by Adrian

Old Fashion

A dash Angostura bitters on a lump of sugar in old fashioned glass. 

Add small piece of lemon peel and crush together. 

Add slice of orange, piece of pineapple, and two cubes of ice. 

Fill with rye whiskey.

1937 - From “Autococktail Castro” by Julio Castro

1937 - From "Approved Cocktails" by Ukbg

1937 - From "Cafe Royal Cocktail Book" by Willian J Tarling

1938 - From 3rd printing “Famous New Orleans Drinks and how to mix em” by Stanley Clisby Arthur

1938 - From “The Merry Mixer From the House of Scenley”

1940 - From "The Official Mixer's Manual" by Patrick Gavin Duffy

1941 - From "Cocktail Guide and Ladies' Companion" by Crosby Gaige

Old Fashioned

1 lump Sugar 

3 dashes Angostura Bitters 

2 ice cubes 

1 jigger Rye or Bourbon Splash of Seltzer or 1 tablespoon of Water

Place the lump of sugar in an Old Fashioned glass and saturate it with Angostura Bitters. Add the seltzer or water and muddle. Add the ice, a cherry, and a twist of lemon peel. Then pour in the liquor, stir and serve. Serious-minded persons omit fruit salad from "Old Fashioneds," while the frivolous window-dres the brew with slices of orange, sticks of pineapple, and a couple of turnips.

In the same manner is made the Scotch or the Rum or the Irish Whiskey "Old Fashioned." Even Gin or Brandy is occasionally used.

1944 - From "The Standard Cocktail Guide" by Crosby Gaige

Old Fashioned

Muddle 1 lump of Sugar with 4 dashes Angostura Bitters. 

Add a splash of Soda Water, 2 ice cubes, a Cherry and a twist of Lemon Peel. 

Pour over 1 jigger of Rye and serve with stir rod. 

This drink may be garnished with a stick of Pineapple and 1/2 an Orange slice, or better still, served with no fruit except a slice of lemon peel.

NOTE: Old Fashioned Cocktails may be made with Bourbon, Scotch or Brandy, Rum and Applejack as well as with Rye.

1947 - From "Bartenders Guide" by Trader Vic

OLD-FASHIONED COCKTAIL -- 1

1/2 cube sugar 

2 dashes Angostura bitters 

2 dashes curaçao 

1 1/2 oz. Bourbon 

1 strip orange peel 

1 strip lemon peel

Muddle sugar and bitters, add cube of ice, curaçao, and whisky; stir and decorate with a slice of pinapple.

OLD-FASHIONED COCKTAIL -- 2

1/2 cube sugar 

1 dash Angostura bitters 

1 squirt seltzer 

1 1/2 oz. rye or bourbon 1 large piece ice

Muddle sugar and bitters; add ice and whisky; stir and decorate with cherry and slice of orange on toothpick.

1948 - From “Ron Daiquiri Coctelera Cocktail Book Habana Cuba”

1949 - From "Esquire's Handbook For Hosts" by Esquire Inc.

THE OLD-FASHIONED

Them what likes their Old-Fashioneds without sugar, without bitters, without water or seltzer, without ice and certainly without fruit are just too old-fashioned to name their drink as "straight whiskey, please." Actually, the only debatable part of an Old-Fashioned is the fruit garnish -- the cherry, orange-slice and sometime stick of pineapple which serious drinkers claim interfere with their Old-Fashioned elbo-bending. Here's how!

OLD-FASHIONED 

In a squatty, robust-bottomed tumbler of the type designed for and dedicated to this drink, place a lump of sugar. Wet this down with 3 dashes of Angostura bitters. (Some use 2 teaspoons of water, as well. Many prefer only 1 or 2 dashes bitters.) Crush the sugar with a wooden muddler, preferably one which has never been washed nor used for any less worthy purpose. Rotate glass so that sugar grains and bitters give it a lining, then add a crystal-clear lump of ice. Now pour in 1 1/2 oz. bourbon or rye. Twist a bit of lemon peel over the top.

A Maraschino cherry, a slice of orange and a chunk of fresh or canned pineapple may be added; the drink may be given a final stir . . . but in both cases fall back for criticism from Old-Fashioned addicts.

Variation: add a dash of Curacao. Try reducing sugar to 1/4 lump. Equal amount of granulated sugar may be used, but be sure to muddle.

ECCENTRIC OLD-FASHIONED 

1 complete lemon peel squeezed into glass 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon Curaçao 2 ounces whiskey Shake well but do not strain and serve in glass garnished with slices of pineapple, orange and cherries.

1951 - From "The Bartenders Book" by Jack Townsend & Tome Moore McBride

Old-Fashioned

1 1/2 oz. rye 

1 lump sugar 

dash of soda 

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Use an Old-Fashioned glass. Muddle sugar in a little soda until dissolved. 

Add two dashes Angostura bitters and a good-sized ice cube. 

Pour in whisky. 

Stir. 

Decorate with fruit or twist of lemon peel. 

Serve with stirring rod.

1953 - From "The American Drink Book" by S. S. Field

OLD FASHIONED:

Muddle 1/2 lump of sugar in a dash of bitters and a splash of soda or water. 

Add 1 jigger of Whiskey, 2 ice cubes and a slice of orange. 

Top with a twist of lemon peel. 

A dash of Curacao gives this old standby an elusive touch. 

Also, try a twist of grapefruit peel for a change.

1948 - 1958 - From "The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks" by David A. Embury

THE OLD-FASHIONED

If properly made, this is a truly magnificent cocktail. The principal reason that it does not enjoy an even greater popularity than it now claims is that what is usually served as an Old-Fashioned is actually a short Highball rather than a cocktail. Water, either plain or charged has no more place in an Old-fashioned than it has in a Manhattan or a Martini. The water is usually added ostensibly for the purpose of dissolving the sugar. You can make perfect Old-Fashioneds only by using sugar syrup. However, if you do not have sugar syrup available you can make a fairly passable cocktail by using loaf sugar as follows:

Put one medium-sized lump of sugar in the Old-Fashioned glass and add enough lukewarm water to cover it completely. Watch carefully until the sugar starts to dissolve and then pour off all the water. Add three dashes of Angostura, crush the sugar with a muddler, and blend sugar and bitters thoroughly. Add a small quantity of whisky and stir with a small spoon until the sugar is completely dissolved and blended with the liquor. Then, and then only, complete the cocktail. It takes about twenty minutes to make a satisfactory Old-Fashioned starting with dry sugar; it takes about two minutes starting with sugar syrup. Also, the sugar syrup makes a smoother, better drink. Therefore, let's make our Old-Fashiones this way, using medium-sized Old-Fashioned glasses (about 5 to 7 ounces):

OLD-FASHIONED DE LUXE 

Pour into each glass 1 to 2 teaspoonfuls simple syrup and add 1 to 3 dashes Angostura. Stir with a spoon to blend the bitters with the syrup. Add about 1 oz. whisky and stir again. Add 2 large cubes of ice, cracked but not crushed (see page 100). Fill glass to within about 3/8" of top with whisky and stir again. Add a twist of lemon and drop peel in the glass. Decorate with a maraschino cherry on a spear. Serve with short stir rod or Old-Fashioned spoon.

I have been intentionally somewhat indefinite about the quantity of sugar and bitters for two reasons. First, you should experiment and determine for yourself just how sweet you like the drink and just how much of the bitters flavor suits you best. Second, I have stated the recipe in terms of filling your Old-Fashioned glasses to within about 3/8" of the top and I do not know the exact size of your glasses. Tastes vary somewhat, of course, but I have found that most people like about 1 teaspoonful of sugar and 1 to 2 dashes of Angostura to each 2 ounces of whisky.

Also, please note that I have suggested only a cherry and a bit of lemon peel for decorations. You will frequently find Old-Fashioneds served with lemon, orange, cherry, and pineapple. The bartenders' manuals of the Gay Nineties were replete with illustrations of cocktails, Sours, Crustas, Smashes, Cobblers, and other drinks decorated with all the above fruits together with strawberries, grapes, raspberries, etc., according to the available supply and the fancy of the writer. At the other extreme stand those who contemptuously refer to any cocktail decoration as "the garbage." My own opinion is that fruit flavors and liquors blend exquisitely and that, for a midafternoon or an evening drink, and Old-Fashioned is greatly improved in its over-all appeal by the judicious addition of a few fruits. Fruits, however, properly belong at the end of a dinner rather than at the beginning. Accordingly, when serving Old-Fashioneds as an aperitif, I recommend using only the lemon peel with no fruit at all, or at the most, a cherry or a slice of orange.

Note that in the Old-Fashioned the only modifying agents used are the bitters and sugar. The reaction time of this cocktail is slower than that of a Martini both because of its sugar content and because the whisky is slower than gin. Don't be deceived by this. It is not a lighter drink than the Martini; it is stronger. Its action is merely delayed.

As an occasional variation in you Old-Fashioned try adding a teaspoonful of the juice from your bottle of maraschino cherries or a dash of curaçao, Cointreau, Chartreuse, or Liqueur Strega.

Old-Fashioneds are also frequently made with liquors other than rye or bourbon. SOUTHERN COMFORT makes and excellent OLD-FASHIONED but is a bit on the sweet side. This can be offset by using less sugar. There are also GIN OLD-FASHIONEDS, SCOTCH OLD-FASHIONEDS, BRANDY OLD-FASHIONEDS, RUM OLD-FASHIONEDS, APPLEJACK OLD-FASHIONEDS, etc. All are made exactly the same as the Whisky Old-Fashioned except for the liquor used. With Gin and Rum Old-Fashioneds, orange bitters may be substituted for or used in combination with Angostura.