In my opinion, one of the greatest triumphs of the cocktail renaissance is the rediscovery of the classic Old Fashioned. I’ve often spoken of how at some point after the repeal of Prohibition, the Old Fashioned became lost and possibly confused with a long-forgotten drink called a Smash (basically a tarted-up Mint Julep covered in fruit), a mere husk of its former, glorious self.
For decades, bartenders just like me served a limp, weak concoction consisting of a half-muddled sugar cube, a mashed-up neon red cherry and orange, a splash of whiskey, and some soda water drowning the results.
With a little luck, and a lot of hard work, that’s all changed with the renewed interest in classic cocktails. Now at any given night at my bar you can find literally a dozen people sipping on two ounces bourbon touched with a teaspoon of sugar and two dashes of bitters, garnished with a simple orange twist over a couple big ice cubes.
But don’t try to pull that bullshit with the good people of the Great State of Wisconsin, where the Brandy Old Fashioned rules supreme. It’s not the same drink as above, it just shares a name. And if you make it right, really right, it’s a damn delicious cocktail and worthy of examination.
Being located in a hotel, we’re used to serving folks from all over the world. And the first time I witnessed a guest from Wisconsin stare blankly as one of my bartenders handed over two ounces of Cognac touched with a teaspoon of sugar and two dashes of bitters and garnished with a simple orange twist over a couple big ice cubes, I knew some further training was in order.
So in the name of making cocktails – all cocktails – with as much of our hearts as we can offer, I present to you what I believe to be the perfect Brandy Old Fashioned… Wisconsin-style.
I start with an old fashioned glass I’ve chilled in the freezer. Call it a tumbler, call it a double rocks glass, or call it a bucket, it’s a glass you’re familiar with. To that I add two dashes of Angostura bitters and a teaspoon of sugar. If I’m in a hurry I use a 2:1 simple syrup, but if I’m going to spend some time, I use a sugar cube. The sugar cube is preferable here because it’s going to add some friction to the muddling we’re about to do. Brace yourselves, cocktail “nerds”.
Next I’ll take a thick-cut orange wedge, and a cherry. The usual suspect here is a grocery store maraschino cherry, but I always choose a brandied Amarena cherry. Remember, you’re going to get out what you put in, so a quality cherry is going to make the drink that much better.
I muddle the sugar, bitters, orange wedge and cherry into a thick paste, careful not to touch the orange peel too much as it’ll bring unwanted bitterness to the party – just work around the peel and pulverize that orange meat.
Your standard Brandy Old Fashioned brandy of choice is Korbel: cheap California brandy. Considering the hundreds of thousands of cases they ship to Wisconsin every year, it might be considered sacrosanct to use anything else. But if you want to do this right, really right, then do yourself a favor and use some good Cognac. I have my preferred brandy, you have yours.
At this point your typical Wisconsinite barkeep is going to add ice and finish the drink in one of two main ways: sweet or sour. Those who take it sweet will ask for a splash of Sprite or 7-Up, those who take it sour get a dose of Collins Mix or Squirt. To me, it’s just a way of watering down the drink, so I leave out the soda and take a more… cocktail-y method.
Crushed ice is a must for me whenever I whip up a Brandy Old Fashioned. I always skip the soda and let the tiny shards of ice do the work, taming those strong, sweet flavors and turning this into a drink you can sip slowly.
As for a garnish, most will throw a “flag” of an orange wedge and a cherry spiked through with a wooden toothpick, but my take here is that those things are already in the drink, so I skip ‘em. Besides, how pretty does that look without the goofy fruit salad perched over the top?
You know, it’s something to enjoy sipping on while you cook up some bratwurst and onions in a boiling kettle of beer before everyone comes over to watch the Packers game. Drink accordingly.
1 sugar cube or 1 tsp 2:1 simple syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 orange wedge
1 cherry, preferably Amarena or Maraska
2 oz brandy or Cognac
In a chilled old fashioned glass, muddle the sugar, bitters, orange wedge and cherry into a thick paste, careful not to work the orange peel. Add brandy or Cognac, stir, and fill glass with crushed ice and serve.
A side project, an experiment or just a simple curiosity that turned into a delicious phenomenon that we're still serving to much delight at our bar, barrel aged cocktails explore the gentle manipulation of a drink's flavors over time. This post details the inspiration, the history and the methods behind my barrel aged cocktails.
My problem with homemade tonic water has always been a flavor profile that was too esoteric for the general audience. This recipe takes some of the positive qualities people have come to understand from commercial tonic water and updated them with fresh ingredients.
Turned off by the glop you find in the grocery store, and unable to endure another long egg and cream whipping session, I set out to build an egg nog recipe from the ground up that retained the character of the orginal formula, was easy to make in a few minutes at home or at the bar, and tasted absolutely delicious. See if you agree with the result.
One question I'm often asked is "Do you have any drink-related book recommendations?" Well, funny you should ask, I've compiled a list of the ten books every professional bartender or home mixologist should own. I keep every one of these close at hand and have read most of them several times. I suggest you do the same.
The problem with living in Oregon is the absence of little wooden shacks by the sea that sell cases of fresh ginger beer stacked on back porches. But with some readily-available ingredients, a recipe I've been revising for several years - and a few free minutes - I can easily transport myself to a little fishing boat on the ocean as I sip a Dark and Stormy made with fresh, house-made ginger beer.
It's always mojito season somewhere, so this advice is timely in your area about half the year. Wether you're making them or simply enjoying them, this advice will help you look like a pro in no time at all.
The flavors of the Richmond Gimlet are imbued with sunshine. Fresh mint mingling with the herbaceousness of gin and the tartness of lime have made this drink a Eugene classic for many years now.
You'll get a lot of snarky advice on this site about how to make a proper drink, but if you ever need to know what not to do, this is the video for you.
Not to be confused with the Spanish wine-and-fruit-based alcoholic beverage sangria, sangrita (meaning "little blood") is a traditional accompaniment to a tequila served completo; a non-alcoholic sipper that cleanses the palate between fiery doses of agave.
The world of booze can be mystifying to people that don't work in bars or around alcohol all the time. I hear a lot of assumptions about the industry I'm in that are - much like 90% of what you hear in bars - completely false. Here are a few you've probably heard yourself.
The traditional garnish for a Pisco Sour is a couple of drops of bitters in the foam, but I've never been particularly impressed with the way these few paltry drops of bitters sat in their little egg-white mattress and didn't play along with the rest of the drink. I envisioned a Pisco Sour with a uniformly-distributed bitters-scorched foam: slightly crisp as the fire burnt the sugars, and slightly warm as the foam insulated the rest of the frosty cocktail from the heat. A pisco creme brulée in a glass!
I get so many visitors looking for tips on how to write a bartending resume that I thought I should finally post a tutorial on how to write your own. Click the headline to read more.
I always love showing up to a party with a gallon jug of pre-mixed margaritas, so I've decided to share my recipe. This margarita recipe is the perfect blend of strong, sweet, and sour. But be warned: this recipe packs a serious punch.
There isn't much I can say about this video that hasn't been said already. If you've read anything I've written about cocktails, you'll understand why this video symbolizes everything wrong with the state of bartending in America today. Watch and learn, but be warned: this one isn't for the feint of heart.
My name is Jeff Morgenthaler and I'm the bar manager at Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon.
I've been tending bar since 1996 and writing about it since 2004. I started tending bar while getting my degree in Interior Architecture, and slowly I came to the conclusion that bartending was what I really loved, and that I might as well drop everything and focus on being a professional bartender. Over the years I have strived, both behind the bar and with this website, to elevate the experience of having a drink from something mundane to something more culinary.
The writing I do here is intended as a work in progress. My recipes are like my opinions: they are constantly being revised and refined as I work them through my mind and my fingers. Comments and participation are encouraged, so please don't feel the need to tread lightly here.
There’s a reason why this isn’t called “Complicated Syrup”. If you can boil water, you’re on your way to making drinks like a pro.
Anyway, here’s how we do it, so you can make these drinks at home.
1 pound (2 cups) granulated cane sugar
2 cups boiling water
Stir together until clear. Let cool and pour into an attractive bottle of your choice and finish with a pour spout.
That’s it! Have fun.
I have a confession for you: I can’t remember how to make a Mai Tai. I’m serious, I can’t. I mean, I know what goes in one, I know the legend of the drink, the names of the supposed creators, and the importance of the Mai Tai in modern cocktail culture. I can [...]
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21 Sep 2007 at 2:55 PM 1. Pat Teel
omg… These are the bomb!
21 Sep 2007 at 3:50 PM 2. Jeffrey
Gee, Pat, thanks! I’ve never seen someone get so enthusiastic over simple syrup, but your excitement is certainly a boost for the old ego.
25 Apr 2008 at 1:26 PM 3. Heather m
What’s the best way to store simple syrup?
28 Apr 2008 at 8:56 AM 4. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Keep your simple syrup in the fridge, Heather.
If you’re not planning on using it for non-alcoholic drinks intended for children, you can add a tiny splash of vodka to keep it from spoiling.
08 May 2008 at 9:52 AM 5. Hunter
Jeff,
I’m going to make non-alcoholic versions of drinks and stumbled upon your simple syrup recipe above. You mention storage in the fridge of the simple syrup but not how long you can store a batch. I don’t plan on making gallons of it obviously but curious as to a rule of thumb…
12 May 2008 at 6:53 AM 6. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Hunter
I’m not exactly sure how long simple syrup will stick around, it doesn’t last long at my work. At home, I make very small batches that I know will be gone in less than a week.
My guess would be that you won’t want to keep it around for much longer than a week.
Jeffrey
25 Jul 2008 at 7:12 PM 7. kaby
thanks – i love your advice -and can’t wait to start mixing drinks – especially the Mojito – kaby
24 Dec 2008 at 5:08 PM 8. zeph
Actually, simple syrup seems likely to last indefinitely in the fridge. Concentrated sugars will kill most “bugs”. Jams and jellies were invented as ways to preserve fruit in sugar.
31 Dec 2008 at 7:42 AM 9. Pa C
The info for storage for simple super was very helpful. What’s your opinion on flavoring it? perhaps with lemon?
31 Dec 2008 at 7:46 AM 10. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Zeph – Yeah, you’re wrong on this one. Whip up a batch and leave it in your fridge until you see black spots on the surface and you’ll see what I mean.
Pa C – No, use lemon to flavor your drinks, not your simple. If you’re hell-bent on making a flavored simple syrup, use herbs, roots, spices, things like that. Think vanilla bean, think lavender, think cinnamon.
31 Jan 2009 at 9:36 AM 11. Anj
I really love my mojitos with a super-spearmint kick, and sometimes I have trouble finding really potent leaves at the stores around here in the winter. So when I make my batch of simple syrup for winter mojitos (I know, I’m weird.) I throw in a few sprigs of spearmint after I turn off the heat and let it cool. After cooling, I strain it and follow the recipe as usual. Yum!
04 Apr 2009 at 12:14 AM 12. Coby
Here’s an idea for those worried about storing their simple syrup. Mix 1 part syrup to 3 parts water and use it to re-fill your hummingbird feeder. Way cheaper than store bought but the birds don’t seem to mind. Obviously if you used vodka as a preservative, this isn’t for you. Great site, every recipe I’ve tried is a keeper!
04 Apr 2009 at 7:21 PM 13. eric in mpls
can other types of sugars be used as a substitute, ie. unrefined cane sugar, or maybe other non-fructose type sugars? thanks!
13 Apr 2009 at 10:57 AM 14. Pat Teel
Hey Jeff… I was referring to the R. Gimlet, not simple syrup. Guess I don’t know my way around your site yet. Good luck in Ptown. I’m in the process of moving up here as well.
08 Jul 2009 at 10:51 PM 15. Matt
Hello. What exactly is granulated cane sugar? Is it widely available?
Cheers.
13 Jul 2009 at 9:20 AM 16. neyshan
Hi Matt,
Its also known as white sugar. You can get it just about anywhere.
13 Jul 2009 at 10:54 PM 17. Jazzy
Thank you for this, I plan on utilizing it the next time I get into a bind.
15 Aug 2009 at 11:01 AM 18. Mark
Re sugar, preserving, and storage:
I think this is a case of both Jeff and Zeph being “right”:
Here’s the deal: if you put sugar in boiling water and let it go for a while, you –will– sterilize it. If you put it in a –sterilized– (not just clean, but kill the little critters) bottle, there won’t be any little critters in there and it should last for quite some time.
You might introduce a few microbes by opening and pouring, but I think the kicker is putting it into a sterilized bottle. Jams and jellies definitely go into sterilized containers. Either use a glass container and boil it or, perhaps, use some homebrew sanitizers.
Best,
Mark
18 Mar 2010 at 1:14 AM 19. Kona
Is this saying “One pound and 2 cups” or is it saying “One pound or 2 cups”? Because 2 cups of sugar doesn’t equal a pound, and there’s likely to be very different results.
04 Apr 2010 at 8:00 PM 20. Clay
My simple syrup seems weak. I used two cups of water and two cups of sugar, combined them when the water boiled and let them cool. The .75 ounce of syrup I used in my mojito didn’t seem to be enough.
03 May 2010 at 6:36 PM 21. Joe
Just discovered this site – I am in awe! Barrel aged Manhattans! Homemade tonic water!
Simple syrup is a subject on which I feel qualified to make a contribution.
I make simple syrup in quart batches and I find that it keeps indefinitely.
I also double the ratio to 2 parts sugar to 1 part water. It creates a “thicker” syrup, but I’ve found through unscientific experimentation that 2 cups of sugar will produce 2 cups of syrup whether you use 1 cup or 2 cups of water, so my deduction is that the end product is equally sweet by volume, just less watery.
I also infuse my syrups with flavor by simmering the syrup along with bunches of mint, basil or chopped habanero.
11 Sep 2010 at 2:16 PM 22. Melanie
Jeffrey,
Thanks so much for this and your gallon margaritas recipe! I unexpectedly found myself having to make margaritas for a picnic and my usual go-to reference (my dad) is travelling out of the country. I’m so relieved to find such an easy and good recipe that so many people love. During my searches, I discovered that most recipe sites either have non-alcoholic margaritas punch recipes or, worse, fruity-flavoured recipes that made me cringe just reading them. When I came across your recipe, I was worried about “simple syrup” because I’ve never heard of it before and in my tiny desert town, it is very hard to find things in the stores. Thank you for including a link to this recipe there; otherwise, I’d be heading to the store right now in search of some sub-standard margaritas mix that would surely mean no-one enjoyed themselves at the picnic!
Cheers!
Melanie
29 Jun 2011 at 6:46 PM 23. Lydia
I make simple syrup and then steep mint leaves in it. I’ve also discovered that it keeps longer if you freeze it. It stays soft but frozen and you can scoop it out for your mojitos or ice tea.
17 Aug 2011 at 10:18 AM 24. Duitch Sloane
Hi, Jeffrey: You’ve opened up a huge realm of possibilities for some serious ginger beer fans, and you comment givers are great, too!
I have one question: we’re trying to use agave nectar for our soda makings/root beer brewings, rather than sugar. Do you have any idea the equivalent amount of agave would be that would equal the simple syrup amount in the recipe?
Thanks…I’ve passed your stuff on to friends and we’ll ALL be checking in.
Cheers!
09 Mar 2012 at 6:37 PM 25. Alex
I use a more traditional 1:1 ratio. I’ve kept it in my fridge for nearly two months before. No mold, no odors, no change in flavor, no change in taste, and no one has been sick when making cocktails with it. Around the two month mark I tossed it and made a new batch just for the hell of it, but at least as far as I can tell, with a 1:1 syrup, it doesn’t go bad if kept refrigerated.
09 May 2012 at 2:39 PM 26. FatCatAnna
I love your website Jeffrey! Now, I know some of you may wonder – if you click on my website – this gal is a diabetic (Type 1 – pancreas packed it’s bags when I was a child – took off without moi) – but heck – I like a nice sippy drink from time to time. I tried the Mojito recipe you posted – EXCELLENT. I’m going to try the simple syrup recipe as well. I’ve posted your recipes for both on my Facebook page in my Notes section – and have credited your website. Hopefully you’ll get more hits – and folks looking for good recipes!
25 May 2012 at 7:33 PM 27. PDXfoodie
Can I use sugar in the raw or other unrefined cane sugars? I know the simple syrup will probably be “cloudy” but will taste be affected?
08 Nov 2012 at 11:32 AM 28. lilwahine78
I’m so glad I came across your website and I can’t wait to try the Brandy Old Fashioned recipe especially with the holidays coming up. Thanks!
Also, just a tip about storing simple syrup for your readers… Like you, I make a small batch for home and store in the fridge, but the container I use is the OXO Good Grips Salad Dressing Shaker. It has a serving spout top that also has a leakproof seal that closes airtight when not in use and it’s dishwasher safe.
27 Feb 2013 at 12:24 PM 29. saturnine
For what it’s worth, I make syrup w/a 1:1 ratio, add 1 tbsp vodka (you can’t taste it, really don’t think it would be a problem for children’s drinks) then put it in a dishwasher washed glass jam or salsa jar w/screw top lid. I don’t make that many cocktails so I have had my current batch in the refridge for 3-4 months if not longer & it is still as pure, clean & smooth as the day it was created.