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.
After a brutal weekend of making drinks for what seemed like every single graduate of the University of Oregon this weekend (and their parents), I’m propping myself up at my computer to once again take part in the Mixology Monday festivities.
18 Jun 2007 at 6:50 AM 1. Anonymous
Thanks for this! I went the ‘lazy bum’ route this MxMo because I dislike Baileys (and am suspicious of a 2-year shelf life on a ‘dairy’ product!) but I like homemade cream liqueurs. This definitely goes on the must-try list.
18 Jun 2007 at 11:22 AM 2. Steph
You’re actually MAKING your own Irish cream now?? This is amazing! I wish I could come try some, but Oregon is too long of a drive from Texas.
I’m going to have to make my own match of Morganthaler’s Irish Cream this winter!
18 Jun 2007 at 1:29 PM 3. Kevin Erskine
Jeffrey,
have you tried Amarula? have any drinks using it?
18 Jun 2007 at 1:31 PM 4. Jeffrey
I’ve tried it, liked it, but never have used it in drinks. However, the host has a recipe that uses Amarula. Check it out!
19 Jun 2007 at 1:36 AM 5. Scooter
The phrase “Morgenthaler’s Irish Cream” sounds like a great patent medicine. One of those turn-of-the-century cure alls with real cocaine in it or something. Just rub a little on the affected area and…
21 Jun 2007 at 4:13 PM 6. Blake
I can honestly attest to the quality of Jeff’s Irish Cream. Thanks for giving me a sample at the bar the other night. I hope Grad Weekend didn’t kill you. I don’t miss those nights. I’ll catch you later.
22 Jun 2007 at 12:31 PM 7. Blake
I truely loved your version of Irish Cream. Your back bar is beginning to resemble a science lab. Keep it up.
23 Jun 2007 at 11:46 AM 8. Charlie
Hey, thanks for the recipe, Jeff. I mixed some up yesterday and it’s fantastic. A little nuttier than Bailey’s, which suits my taste just fine.
23 Jun 2007 at 12:54 PM 9. Jeffrey
Hey, thanks, Charlie! I’ve been having it in coffee after work and it goes so well with the Illy dark roast coffee we have here at the house.
12 Jul 2007 at 1:22 PM 10. Wayland
We actually make quite a few Irish Cream drinks over at Infusions of Grandeur.
I was looking at your Irish Cream recipe and to me what was missing was caramel. I tend to use Emmet’s Irish Cream, because it has a hint of caramel in the flavor that just isn’t the in Bailey’s or St. Brendan’s.
Now if I really wanted to go the Caramel route, I know there is a Caramel Bailey’s but for most drinks that is a bit over the top. I like just the hint of caramel that’s in the Emmet’s.
12 Jul 2007 at 11:55 PM 11. Stella
Perfect Timing!
I have a regular who drinks only Baileys. I am out until Monday and would never think of attempting to serve him Emmets on the rocks (garnished with a stick of chalk). His business and tipping habits are well worth the effort of making him some homemade. I might even whip up a batch of cookies as well!
13 Jul 2007 at 8:36 AM 12. Jeffrey
Wayland, I’ve been meaning to do a write-up about you guys for a while, I love the site. And I’ll try adding some caramel to my next batch to see what happens!
And as for you, Stella…
21 Jul 2007 at 4:58 AM 13. Wayland
I made a mistake in my comment. I accidentally said Emmet’s, I have no idea what I was thinking. We use Carolan’s for most our Irish Cream drinks.
03 Dec 2007 at 4:43 AM 14. Etan
I love Bailry’s, but today bought a bottle of Emmet’s because of the price. I must say, Baileys tastes much stronger in alcohoo content, although by the label, they are the same. But it also tastes more complex in flavor.
How does Carolan’s compare? Also, does anyone know how you can access the ingredients to these Irish creams? I’d like to know what they use to sweeten them with (I tink Carolan’s says on the bottle that they use honey).
I love drinking Irish cream and can down a whole bottle over the course of an evening, but they surely can’t be very good for you with the fat/cholesterol content!
03 Dec 2007 at 4:44 AM 15. Etan
well judging by all the typos in my previous question, you can tell that I’m at the end of a bottle now
03 Dec 2007 at 4:47 AM 16. Etan
OMG I’m gonna try making creme brulee with Irish cream instead of regular heavy cream…I bet it will be fantastic!!!
03 Dec 2007 at 4:47 AM 17. Etan
I;m such a lush
20 Dec 2007 at 9:32 PM 18. Shiz
Made this tonight and blogged about it (linking back here, of course) here: http://www.shiz.ca/journalicious/2007/12/fa-la-la-la-la.html
20 Dec 2007 at 11:43 PM 19. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Thanks, Shiz! Let us know how it turns out.
02 Dec 2008 at 10:43 PM 20. scott in the lbc
Jeff-
I’m intrigued by your recipe and am going to make it over the winter holiday. I did have a quick question about the chocolate syrup. Does this mean something like the Hershey’s syrup you pour over vanilla ice cream? Might one reasonably substitute an ounce of melted chocolate, or an ounce of Godiva chocolate liqueur? I suppose so, but I was merely curious as to exactly what was meant by chocolate syrup.
03 Dec 2008 at 8:23 AM 21. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Scott – You’re going to need chocolate that will dissolve in water/alcohol, melted chocolate simply won’t do. Look for Hershey’s or another type of chocolate syrup intended for mixing in milk.
08 Feb 2009 at 10:38 PM 22. Peter
Made it, and it was freaking delicious.
Thanks for the recipe!
21 Dec 2010 at 1:01 PM 23. Antoine
Just mixed up a batch of 6 bottles just now. They’re going to be Christmas presents for a few of my friends. Subbed out the condensed milk for a cup more of cream and a half cup of (warmed) dulce de leche. Turned out brilliantly, the dulce de leche really adds something smooth to it and the weight turned out really well.
Thanks Jeff!