
The Old Fashioned Cocktail (image courtesy of Maggie Kimberl)
The Old Fashioned cocktail is said to have originated in Louisville, Kentucky’s Pendennis Club. There are many variations of the story, but the basic story is this: bar patrons would often order cocktails made “in the old-fashioned way,” and the name just sort of stuck.
“Although some say it is an adaptation from another cocktail- perhaps the Whiskey Cobbler or the Whiskey Cocktail- others argue that it is the original cocktail. . . That’s not bad for a drink that most sources say originated in the Bluegrass State,” says Albert Schmid’s The Old Fashioned
The cocktail is simple enough- bourbon, of course, a sugar cube or simple syrup, bitters, a flamed orange peel, and a cherry. There are as many variations of The Old Fashioned as there are bartenders, of course. Some muddle fruit at the bottom and stir in the rest of the ingredients with ice. Others skip the muddling, allowing the flamed orange peel to lend all the fruity notes to the cocktail. Still others substitute rye for the bourbon, and some use flavored whiskeys such as maple.
Then there are the bitters- there are as many different types of bitters as there are people in the bourbon industry, and some bartenders even make their own.
The Old Fashioned is such an integral part of Louisville’s bourbon culture and heritage, the mayor recently dubbed it the “Official Cocktail of Louisville.” Most stops on The Urban Bourbon Trail will feature their own variations. Here’s my official variation:
1.5 oz. bourbon
.25 oz. simple syrup
3 dashes Angostura bitters
Flamed orange peel, squeezed and dropped in the glass
1 cocktail cherry
Combine all ingredients in a rocks glass filled with ice and stir.
Related Articles

Von Payne Black Whiskey Releasing Batch #4
Coffee Review: Don Pablo Canadian Whisky And Maple Infused Coffee
Country Music Star Ryan Bingham Unveils A Bourbon
Interview: Trey Zoeller Talks All Things Jefferson’s Bourbon
Whisky Review: Glengoyne Legacy Series Chapter Three
New Glenfarclas 50-Year-Old Single Malt Celebrates A Special Tenure
Coffee Review: Don Pablo Irish Whiskey And Vanilla Infused Coffee
Coffee Review: Don Pablo Bourbon Infused Coffee
Macaloney’s Triple-Distilled Single Pot Still Whisky Range Introduced
Lux Row Distillers Introduces Rebel 100 Rye
Maggie Kimberl
One night during Derby week, I was working in the liquor store while Four Roses Master Distiller Jim Rutledge was doing a tasting. I kept trying to make my way over to talk to him, but we were super busy (did I mention it was Derby week?) and I didn't...