Latest Drink Recipe
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.
Brandy Old Fashioned
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.
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About Me
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.
17 May 2007 at 6:33 PM 1. Dan
Great post, Jeff, and I’ve got a lovely relevant story to tell…
I was at a bar the other night with a few friends and this particular bar, for some reason, has a huge collection of…board games. I challenged a friend to a game of Battleship and loser bought the winner a drink. Well, I lost and I owed her a drink. So, I asked her what she would like and she replied, “a tom collins, please.”
My beer was getting a little low, anyways, so I went up to one of the bartenders and asked for another guinness and a tom collins. This is where it goes to hell.
The bartender grabs a highball glass and fills it with ice. He then proceeds to pour barely an ounce of gin directly into the glass, and follows it up with a *disgusting* amount of bottled sour mix. He then added a splash of soda and garnished with a cherry. I did not accept the drink and asked him for something else which was made all right…
By the way, I use the same whiskey sour recipe at home. They go down a bit too easy…
17 May 2007 at 11:00 PM 2. Mark
This is excellent, I’m going to try it tonight. Thanks for the help.
18 May 2007 at 2:47 AM 3. Jeffrey
Stay tuned for the collins episode… I’ll write more soon, I promise!
18 May 2007 at 5:41 AM 4. Chuck P.
Perfect Jeff! There will be at least one (or 3) decent whiskey sours imbibed tonight in Nebraska! Your advice is always appreciated.
CP
18 May 2007 at 7:27 AM 5. Jimmy
Sounds good Jeffrey. Do you make fresh mix every time, or do you keep it?
18 May 2007 at 8:17 AM 6. Jeffrey
I don’t actually use mix at my bar, Jimmy, I make every drink to order. However, I don’t see a problem with making a quart of mix before service each night…
18 May 2007 at 3:38 PM 7. Dominik MJ
Hm – still I don’t see a point to prepare sweet & sour mix – it is quite too easy to use fresh lemon or lime juice and simple syrup (normally I use for kind of European & American drinks more lemon and for Latin American and Caribbean drinks more often lime).
Even I don’t use self made simple syrup, as I use (bought) gomme syrup – this is simple syrup with added gum arabica (the mouth feel is great and the heads of the drinks are more steady)!
For my sours, fizzes and collinses I even use less syrup, (ratio 4-2-1) which I think is better working for me!
But… Margaritas I only drink with just Tequila (personally I prefer a 100% agave tequila), fresh lime juice and Cointreau. No prepared sweet and sour mix and no cheap triple sec curaçao…
19 May 2007 at 8:31 AM 8. Dan
I think Margaritas taste fantastic with a splash of both lemon juice and simple syrup.
21 May 2007 at 8:51 AM 9. B
Long time lurker with a quick comment.
I’d been agonizing for months over how to keep my simple syrup (and, btw, I use 2 parts sugar to 1 part water, just personal preference), and with no “container store” near me and “kitchen stores” wanting crazy amounts of money for squeeze bottles, I was using small tupperware containers. These got very messy after two or three uses, and it looked like I had some kind of kinky syrup fight in the kitchen whenever I used it.
I found what I wanted at a dollar store, of all places. Cheap, overseas-manufactured ketchup and mustard squirters. 2 to the package for $1, they even have a little cap for the nozzle. Perfect for syrup, lemon juice, lime juice, whatever, even a peanut butter sauce I made for brownies.
23 May 2007 at 11:03 AM 10. Angie
Have you ever heard of a “Solarita”? I had one at a Mexican restaurant in Atlanta – very refreshing! They put what they called ‘lime sour’ in a salt-rimmed tumbler over the rocks, then you pour a bottle of Sol beer over it. Incredibly good. I understand you can do the same with Corona.
BUT – my question is – what exactly is the proportion to make it LIME sour, instead of just SOUR? It did look slightly green, so it just has to be in the proportion, right?
Thanks for your thoughts.
30 May 2007 at 9:07 AM 11. Jeffrey
Angie, the drink you describe is sometimes called a “Cubana” in Mexico – sort of a mild cousin of the Michelada using fresh lime juice, ice, salt and beer.
But the sour mix is sort of a beer margarita, a trend that’s becoming more popular here. I’ve even had people asking me for them at work, as they’re a much lighter version of a hard-alcohol margarita.
As far as a lime sour mix is concerned, just try reversing the proportions of lemon and lime in my recipe and let me know how it goes!
02 Nov 2007 at 11:38 PM 12. Jack
Another lurker of the cocktail blogosphere rears his head…
Jeffrey, I’ve always made my own cocktails with fresh juices and simple syrup so that I can adjust the ratio of sweet to sour. But now I’m contemplating actually trying my hand behind the stick in a professional environment; should I ever find myself having to use sour mix, will I need to reformulate every drink in my repertoire?
And what about drinks that call for triple sec or maraschino to counterbalance a sour ingredient? How can bars that rely on sour mix make margaritas, sidecars, aviations, and so forth?
04 Nov 2007 at 11:30 PM 13. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Jack
Yes, you will either have to reformulate all of your recipes, or just not make those drinks altogether. There’s just no substitute for fresh ingredients. You can’t make a Sidecar with sour mix.
However, what about slowly convincing your employers to incorporate fresh-juice cocktails into their business?
05 Nov 2007 at 12:21 AM 14. Jack
That’d be sweet. Or sour. Hah!
Of course, convincing the ol’ employers to do things Jack’s way would be ideal, but cocktail knowledge nonwithstanding, I doubt my own ability to waltz onto a job with no prior professional experience and start changing how things get done. And from one perspective, that’s totally righteous. I mean, so I can make a bitchin’ Mai Tai off the top of my head. Doesn’t mean I know anything about the restaurant business, other than what those Jeffrey Morgenthaler and Jamie Boudreau blokes tell me via the interwebs.
I could do it. But it’d take awhile, and in the meantime… I don’t even comprehend how you could bartend with mix! Kamikaze. Easy, common drink at high-volume establishments (or so I hear). Something like 3:2:1 vodka, triple sec, lime juice. Sub sour mix and you’ve got to either eliminate the triple sec (becomes a crummy Lemon/Lime Drop) or serve the Kamikaze way too sweet. Have you ever worked at a bar with sour mix? Do you have any idea what such places do in similar situations? My curiosity is piqued. I’ve never ordered a sour anywhere that uses mix, and I’ve not the desire (nor the cash) to go out and experiment. What the hell are people actually consuming when they order a Kamikaze at a lousy bar?
05 Nov 2007 at 3:21 PM 15. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
It’s true, if you listened to me or Boudreau, you’d be lighting the place on fire, so don’t take our advice. Well, listen to Jamie, just don’t take any of my advice.
I always used Rose’s Lime Juice in a Kamikaze when I worked in clubs (oh yes, I’ve worked at plenty of bars that used sour mix), and I don’t think it tasted that bad. After all, it’s just a vodka gimlet with triple sec, right?
Then again, if you make a Kamikaze with fresh juice you’re essentially making a vodka Margarita, am I right?
You sound like you’re just getting started in the business, so my advice is to keep your mouth shut for a little while and learn how they want you to do things at the bar you’re working in. As you become a more experienced bartender you’ll find yourself in a position to make changes and recommendations – and be taken seriously for them.
As a bar manager, I cringe at the thought of someone telling me how to run my bar based on something they read in a couple of blogs. So put your head down and get to work, Jack!
23 Dec 2007 at 10:23 AM 16. David
I was at a hotel bar one night (away at training and killing time) drinking whiskey sours. After the second lemon-lime soda and whiskey, I asked the bartender to microwave 2 oz of water with 2 oz of sugar. Once done I had her add 2 oz of lemon juice and 2 oz of whiskey and pour over ice… finally, a decent drink! After repeating this a few more times, she tried one for herself and was dumb founded at how much better it was.
Yup, the sugar/juice ratio is left much to taste, but the fact remains that bar made sour mix or lemon-lime soda is NO substitute.
30 Jan 2008 at 10:56 AM 17. TOMMY@SHEP
WHAT IS THE BEST BOTTLED SIMPLE SYRUP? THINKING OF USING IT FOR CAPARINHA’S.THANK YOU.
30 Jan 2008 at 12:34 PM 18. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Gee, I don’t know, Tommy, I’ve never used bottled simple syrup.
Why don’t you just take A CUP OF SUGAR AND MIX IT WITH A CUP OF BOILING WATER?
It’s going to be much cheaper than bottled simple syrup, and probably taste a lot better.
Jeff
16 Mar 2008 at 10:29 AM 19. scott in the LBC
Just wondering, Jeff, how long simple syrup can keep in a refrigerator. If I were making it at home, it wouldn’t matter because it’s so easy to make. But, I want to convince my bar to start stocking it. They can’t make it there (no kitchen), but the owner also owns a restaurant across the street…
17 Mar 2008 at 10:00 AM 20. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Oh, I would imagine it would last a week or so without spoiling. Make it in big one-gallon batches and truck it across the street.
09 Jul 2008 at 2:57 PM 21. Garretto
Jeff,
I saw a video (new orleans best cocktails: Whiskey Sour) where the bartender–great guy, uses the exact recipe here, but adds an eggwhite –superb!! But, is there something else other than the eggwhite that can give it that thick and creamy feel without the need to explain to every guest the potential (if slim) chance of salmanela–and compromising the flavor?
10 Jul 2008 at 9:35 PM 22. Larry Spies
“WHAT IS THE BEST BOTTLED SIMPLE SYRUP? THINKING OF USING IT FOR CAPARINHA’S.THANK YOU.”
Tommy, do not use simple syrup for a “Caipirinha”! A big no-no, use fresh Tahitian limes and super fine sugar…
1.75 oz Cachaca (I use Fazenda Mae De Ouro!! Great Cachaca!!)
Juice of 1/2 Tahiti lime
1-2 tsp superfine sugar
Muddle 1/2 a lime with sugar in a 9oz rocks glass.
Fill the glass with cracked ice.
Pour the cachaca into glass then pour entire contents into a shaker and shake for 20-30 seconds…(I prefer shaken over stirred…and unstrained)
Pour contents back into rocks glass and serve…
http://www.caipirinha.us/
10 Jul 2008 at 9:43 PM 23. Larry Spies
Garretto
Use pasteurized eggs whites…
11 Jul 2008 at 9:19 AM 24. Garretto
Oh geez!! Of course!
I’m buying some tonight and having a killer smooth whiskey sour!
Thanks,
Larry
11 Jul 2008 at 11:20 AM 25. Larry Spies
no problem Garretto!
Might give that a try myself…I love the texture egg whites give to a drink like a Pisco Sour or a Ramos Gin Fizz…
Also fresh eggs whites are pretty safe from salmanela, the egg yolk is where the bugs hang out, if the whites are separated correctly, you should be fine. I use the pasteurized egg whites just to be safe, also egg white powder can be use as well. Just rehydrate the egg white powder with water or you can add the powder directly into the cocktail shaker with the liquor/juice. Just give it a few more shakes, you don’t want any lumps in your drinks!
Enjoy!
11 Jul 2008 at 11:34 AM 26. Garretto
Yeah, Larry, give it a try in a whiskey sour —-sublime.
Thanks for the additional info.
This site is great!
25 Jul 2008 at 4:55 PM 27. Jeremy
I have seen the light!
I’ve sworn off all mixes. If I don’t may it myself, I don’t serve it.
25 Jul 2008 at 6:18 PM 28. Larry Spies
Hey Jeremy!
What made you see the light? a bad batch of bloody mary mix? lol
12 Sep 2008 at 7:21 PM 29. Jeremy
To be honest, I like to host parties at my humble abode and serve various drinks (usually what the subject of the party prefers.) One birthday party, I asked the birthday boy what drink he wanted featured, and he suggested the Whiskey Sour. This mix made the night. Everyone was drinking them.
I just made another batch for another party this weekend.
08 Nov 2008 at 2:42 PM 30. Bill Cook
Great tips. But you forgot the water. NY has great tap water..not.
We use bottle water for the sweet/sour mix and the ice. (for special people)
25 Feb 2009 at 3:52 PM 31. Chris
Simple syrup is hydroscopic, like honey. It’ll keep a looong time, even without refrigeration.
02 Mar 2009 at 3:18 PM 32. Zach
I was wanting to mix up a whiskey sour using a whole pint of whiskey. It is far a party where I wouldn’t be able to mix the drinks one at a time. So I was going to mix it up in bulk.. Any ideas?
02 Mar 2009 at 3:42 PM 33. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Zach – Just follow the recipe. A pint of whiskey would be:
1 pint whiskey
1 cup fresh lemon juice
¾ cup simple syrup
Cheers
04 Oct 2009 at 8:00 AM 34. TQ White II
A year and a half after the question was asked, “How long will simple syrup last?” I see that it still has not been answered correctly.
It’s true that it’s hydroscopic and so, bacteria will not easily grow. However, mold likes it very well.
At room temperature, I’ve seen mold (and I used a commmercial dishwasher to clean the jar) in a week in the summer.
In the fridge, there’s something growing in about a month.
tqii
10 Jul 2010 at 9:32 PM 35. Andrew
The Sour Mix sounds fantastic, but what measurement would be equal to a “part?” One cup? Or is it more subjective than that?
13 Jul 2010 at 6:53 AM 36. TQ White II
It depends on how much you want. When I make it, one part is actually two cups. That is, two cups sugar and two cups of water for the sugar syrup.
I don’t make sour mix ahead of time. I don’t think it retains the flavor very well for more than a day. So, in a drink, we switch to smaller ‘parts’. Usually an ounce.
For the whiskey sour above, that means two ‘parts’ whiskey, ie, two ounces. One ‘part’ lemon juice, ie, one ounce. I will leave the .75 parts of sugar syrup as an exercise. ;-)
I express all of my recipes in relative terms, ie, parts. That way I can easily, when I want to make a bunch of something, scale it up to fill a pitcher.
Good drinking!
24 Feb 2011 at 11:19 PM 37. Cutter
I prefer equal parts lemon and lime for a smoother balance. That and a demera or cane based (or both) simple syrup.
I tend to stay away from egg whites in cocktails as a liability issue.
25 Feb 2011 at 2:14 PM 38. TQ White II
Cutter, I agree with you. Though I consider it to be non-standard usage, I feel a lemon-lime combo is a little bit richer in flavor. I’ll call you brother (sister?) from now on.
As for egg whites, I’m a non-commercial guy so I don’t worry about killing people with egg whites. Most of my friends are dispensable.
Plus, I have never known person that suffered from egg illness, nor have I ever known a person that has known a person. Since I buy my eggs from an actual farmer, I figure it’s a small risk.
Good on you for being careful about what you feed people. It shows a caring spirit.
20 May 2011 at 9:14 AM 39. Joel Musser
As for salmonella in eggs, this comes from the deplorable and disgusting conditions that industrial chickens (i.e. all chickens except those from your local farmer or from free-range farms) live in and lay their eggs. Otherwise, under normal conditions, there’s only a trace amount (negligible) of Salmonella in eggs–and that’s on the outside of the shell. I buy my eggs locally or free-range and just wash the shell before use.
As for a whiskey sour, try it with rye and you’re eyes will be opened. If I do make it with bourbon, I omit the sugar. I can’t wait to try it with egg whites!
30 Mar 2012 at 5:34 PM 40. mk
your sour mix recipe was perfect!! I used it to make some bad a** Long Island Ice Teas tonight!! I like that I can be in control of the amounts of alcohol and the quality of ingredients!! Thanx for the recipes!! :)
13 Apr 2012 at 12:03 AM 41. Charles
How long can you keep simple syrup? Well it depends on how you make it. Simple Syrup NF (national formulary) is 85 g sugar per 100 ml of water. This is approximately equal to the 2 to 1 syrup. Pharmacies keep this stuff at room temperature for as long as the manufacture’s expiration date (a year or more!) Microbes can’t grow in this due to high tonicity. More dilute syrups such as the 1 to 1 are subject to mold growth unless preservatives are added. So refrigerate this stuff and don’t keep it too long. Best advice is make the two to one and use half as much in your recipe and an equal amount of water, thus making 1 to 1 on the fly! From a pharmacist. Charles
06 Sep 2012 at 8:39 AM 42. Roark
Can you make sour mix last longer by adding vodka a a preservative? I hear that works with simple syrup.
19 Feb 2013 at 7:52 PM 43. Ryan
Yes adding vodka will extend the life span of simple syrup. At home I don’t use it every day so a small batch of 1:1 ( 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 2 oz vodka ) will stay healthy for at least a month and a half, which is the longest I have kept it without using it all.