Is there any cocktail as iconic as the Old Fashioned? The image of whiskey, bitters, and sugar served over a large block of ice in a stout rocks glass is almost synonymous with the word “cocktail.” The Old Fashioned has endured as one of the most popular alcoholic beverages since the early 19th century due to its simplicity and perfectly engineered balance.
The name is a response to a wave of “improved” cocktails that were sweetened with liqueurs and, at times, included other flavoring ingredients like absinthe. Guests who wanted the original, stripped-down cocktail would ask for theirs in the “old-fashioned style.”
That hasn’t stopped bartenders from tinkering with the drink, though. The straightforward build makes the Old Fashioned one of the easiest formats to play with, whether it’s by using unique homemade syrups, different bitters, or by fat washing the base spirit. A clever riff on the Old Fashioned is perhaps the perfect example of the current mixology era’s penchant for combining tried-and-true classics with modern technique.
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Classic Old Fashioned
Morgan Hunt Glaze / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hausser / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf
The classic Old Fashioned, a combination of spirit, sugar, bitters, and ice, is by definition the original cocktail. If you order an Old Fashioned at a respectable cocktail bar now, you’re likely going to get something very close to this; a combination of bourbon or rye, simple syrup, Angostura bitters, and an orange twist. When prepared with care, it’s the best example of minimalist brilliance in mixology.
Oaxaca Old Fashioned
Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hausser / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf
The Oaxaca Old Fashioned is credited with being one of the first modern cocktails to help popularize mezcal as a base spirit. Created by Phil Ward at New York City’s Death & Co., this drink combines tequila and smoky mezcal with agave nectar and bitters to create an Old Fashioned that nods to the centuries-old tradition of agave cultivation in Mexico.
Fig Old Fashioned
MORGAN HUNT WARD / FOOD STYLING by EMILY NABORS HALL / PROP STYLING by JULIA BAYLESS
The Fig Old Fashioned trades brightness for depth, using fig syrup in place of the plain sugar cube or simple syrup to create a richer profile with notes of deep, dried fig and vanilla. It evokes autumnal warmth and turns the whiskey’s caramel and vanilla notes toward roasted fruit dimensions. The Angostura bitters are crucial in this drink — they cut through the rich fruity sweetness and add a pop of baking spice.
Coffee Old Fashioned
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell
Coffee and whiskey are a natural pairing. The rich, roasted notes of coffee pair perfectly with the caramel and vanilla flavors that whiskey picks up from charred oak during barrel aging. The aptly named Coffee Old Fashioned uses a coffee liqueur as the sweetener, doubling down on the roasty notes and providing a slightly bitter balance to the peppery rye whiskey.
Monte Carlo
Carson Downing / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Breanna Ghazali
The Monte Carlo is a classic whiskey cocktail that uses the French herbal liqueur Bénédictine as the sweetener instead of a sugar cube or syrup. It may seem closer in build to the Manhattan, but as it’s served in a rocks glass over a large block of ice, it resembles the Old Fashioned much more closely. A restrained pour of the liqueur keeps sweetness in check while Angostura amplifies the rye whiskey’s pepper and clove. The result is rich yet balanced, an herbaceous Old Fashioned that lingers between a classic Manhattan and an Old Fashioned.
Brandy Old Fashioned (Wisconsin Old Fashioned)
Food & Wine / Photo by Jake Sternquist / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Sue Mitchell
If you walk into a supper club in Wisconsin and order an Old Fashioned, don’t be surprised when your bartender asks what kind of soda you want it topped with. This regional variation uses brandy as a base that is then sweetened with sugar, and muddled maraschino cherry and orange. After a dash of bitters, the drink is topped with either lemon-lime soda or club soda. It may seem strange to outsiders, but this is how it’s been done in Wisconsin for generations.
Mr. Brown
Food & Wine / Photo by Jason Donnelly / Food Styling by Annie Probst and Shannon Goforth / Prop Styling by Lexi Juhl
This modern classic variation from veteran bartender Ms. Franky Marshall uses a coffee liqueur and a teaspoon of vanilla syrup to sweeten its bourbon base. Orange and Angostura bitters bring contrast, keeping the drink tethered to its Old Fashioned roots. And a twist of orange adds a fragrant, citrus finish.
Benton’s Old Fashioned
Photo by Jason Donnelly / Food Styling by Annie Probst and Shannon Goforth / Prop Styling by Lexi Juhl
Created in 2007 by Don Lee at the bar PDT in New York City, the Benton’s Old Fashioned is credited with popularizing the technique of fat washing in modern mixology. Lee took the rendered fat from bacon and infused it into bourbon before straining it, giving the whiskey the smoky character of the cured meat. With maple syrup as the sweetener and the inclusion of aromatic bitters, the drink is balanced into a rich and complex Old Fashioned with a unique character.
Si-Güey
Food & Wine / Photo by Jason Donnelly / Food Styling by Annie Probst and Shannon Goforth / Prop Styling by Lexi Juhl
The Si-Güey is a modern, tequila-based take on the Old Fashioned invented at Sasha Petraske’s landmark bar, Milk and Honey, in the early 2000s. A lightly aged reposado tequila is sweetened with dry curaçao, balanced with orange bitters, and enhanced with a splash of peated Islay Scotch. The result is an irresistible, agave-forward sipper with a strong citrus character and a whiff of smoke.
Garvey Old Fashioned
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
Tropical cocktails don’t often come to mind when discussing Old Fashioned variations, but the Garvey Old Fashioned gives the classic a Caribbean flair. The secret to this variation is the syrup, made with equal parts pineapple juice and demerara sugar. The Caribbean influence is ramped up further with the addition of Jamaican jerk bitters, which give the cocktail a pop of island spice.