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.
It’s Mixology Monday time around here again, and this month we’re hosted by the lovely Anna at Morsels and Musings. Anna has chosen the theme of “Fruit Liqueurs” for this month’s edition.
14 Apr 2008 at 11:33 AM 1. Marleigh
I need one of these delivered to my house.
14 Apr 2008 at 6:26 PM 2. Jessica Hutchinson
That looks and sounds delicious!
15 Apr 2008 at 4:18 AM 3. Anna
no fruit! that’s cheating!
but i guess i can forgive you seeing that drinking elderflower flavoured beverages is practically a national pastime in my husband’s homeland (sweden).
15 Apr 2008 at 6:59 AM 4. Eugenia
A pleasure to finally meet you last night, Jeffrey! That absinthe-washed French 75 was delicious, thank you so much. The absinthe was just the perfect note to transform the drink into something rare and new, and I liked it less sweet than I usually make it. Really nice.
So I waffled between that and the East of Eden — wanted to keep drinking but that’s hard to do when your companion is sticking to a single glass of white wine, alas. But now that I read the recipe, I almost regret not bulldozing ahead.
I guess this means I get to see you again soon! :)
15 Apr 2008 at 6:05 PM 5. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Thanks, everyone. And thanks for letting me cheat a bit, Anna!
Eugenia, it was a pleasure to meet you. You’ll have to come try some more libations next time!
Jeff
15 Apr 2008 at 8:07 PM 6. canary
a cocktail with pinot gris? hmmm….
16 Apr 2008 at 9:05 PM 7. Chris Bailey
It was great to see an elderflower recipe. A friend and I were just discussing this as it’s in some of the drinks at Range in San Francisco, and a few other hot bars there. Now, armed with your recipe, I’m excited to try it (and better yet that it uses gin, my usual favorite :)
17 Apr 2008 at 3:32 PM 8. Molly
Damn you. And here I thought I was going to go straight home from work like a good girl.
17 Apr 2008 at 4:37 PM 9. Aimee Scarlett
Nice name for a beautiful drink…How’d you know? :) Considering that’s one of my favorite books and that it uses my favorite gin, I’ll look forward to trying it next time I’m at Bel Ami.
18 Apr 2008 at 1:43 AM 10. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Molly
I hope you enjoyed the drink!
Aimee
I went to the same high school as John Steinbeck, and grew up with an elder tree in my backyard. Also, I love working with gin, so now you know where the drink really came from. I look forward to making you one soon!
18 Apr 2008 at 7:13 PM 11. Alex Frane
Man, that sounds amazing. Are you selling it at Bel Ami? Can I stop in and get one?
18 Apr 2008 at 7:27 PM 12. Aimee Scarlett
I am so insanely jealous that you went to the same high school as Steinbeck.
So on a more technical note (and maybe this should go on the Saz blog) I attempted to make a Sazerac for a young guest the other night at work and in a hurry as usual, I couldn’t get the sugar cube to dissolve and I couldn’t keep stirring it for time’s sake, which resulted in unsightly white crystals in the bottom of my cocktail. I was irritated but had to go serve food to people. I had considered using the simple syrup, but John had hidden it from me.
Anyway long story short, is there any good way to ensure the darn sugar cube disintegrates in a timely fashion without compromising the drink quality? Many times I have much less time than I’d like to craft the drink.
19 Apr 2008 at 9:51 AM 13. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Aimee
Ask me again under the Sazerac post and I will tell you what’s going wrong with your sugar cube.
20 Apr 2008 at 12:07 AM 14. von Hottie
If you go to The Dove in New York City, (228 Thompson Street) and you order a von Hottie – it’s St’ Germain with champagne and a lemon twist. Delicious.Ask for Mara – she makes it the best.
22 Apr 2008 at 5:41 PM 15. Chris Bailey
Tried my hand at this tonight. Came out well! For various circumstances that nobody cares about, I used Plymouth Gin instead of Bombay, but it was still good. Fair bit sweeter than I imagined (although I guess should be obvious). My wife really liked it a lot as well. I used the same Sweet Cheeks Pinot Gris. I’ll be making again tomorrow (wife requested it for a party she’s going to :)
24 Apr 2008 at 11:39 AM 16. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Chris
I think this drink has a sort of sweetness that happens on the mid-palate, but I find the finish to be nice and bracing. I think a lot of that comes from the St. Germain, which I find has a really complex sweet/sour profile.
Ain’t like pouring a bunch of triple sec in there, that’s for sure!
30 Nov 2008 at 8:41 PM 17. Jared
Amazing drink. I bumped the gin to 2 with Plymouth, and I might cut the lemon just a touch, but this truly is a fantastic drink. One of the best I’ve made.
Thanks for the recipe.
01 Dec 2008 at 1:17 PM 18. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Jared – Glad you liked! I think Plymouth is a fine choice for this drink.
20 Dec 2008 at 4:14 PM 19. Evan
Forget the pinot gris… if you can get your hands on a good bottle of viognier (and reduce into syrup), the apricot plays beautifully in this mix.