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.
16 Mar 2009 at 9:25 AM 1. JohnTheBastard
Charcoal filtered to remove color after aging? WTF?
16 Mar 2009 at 10:07 AM 2. Martin
Charcoal filtering to create a rum that’s clear but aged is very common and used in dozens of brands. It’s a style that offers the appearance of an unaged silver, but with some of wood notes remaining. I say some, because charcoal filtration removes flavor as well, but you’re still left with more character than an unaged rum. Cruzan, Myers’s Platinum, Flor De Cana, the list goes on and on.
16 Mar 2009 at 10:14 AM 3. tekstone
this is not an unusual practice. many white rums are aged for up to 4 years and then filtered to make them clear. this has been my understanding anyway.
16 Mar 2009 at 10:32 AM 4. Andreas
Hey John,
Our aim was to create a smooth, complex and flavorful ‘white’ rum. Maturation is a necessary step for this, but to render the rum ‘white’ the filtration is required to remove the color obtained during aging. Hope this clears up your question.
Andreas
16 Mar 2009 at 10:55 AM 5. Matt Robold (RumDood)
I was lucky enough to get to sample the [e]8 at RumFest UK last October. It’s a superb line.
As Martin says, the charcoal filtering of color for an aged rum is not all that uncommon – in fact my favorite “white rum” (Oronoco) goes through the same process.
16 Mar 2009 at 11:58 AM 6. Ralph
Huzzah for more rum in the US. Eventually.
16 Mar 2009 at 12:04 PM 7. Justin
“Already available in Europe, Elements Eight is slated for release in the States late this year or early 2010″
This means Pennsylvania will get it around 2015.
16 Mar 2009 at 12:13 PM 8. Nick
Sounds lovely, but, given the steps and equipment involved in the distilling, perhaps a bit dear to mix into cocktails?
Any ideas on what price range this will fall into?
16 Mar 2009 at 12:18 PM 9. Bastian
Just to make a long list longer: Angostura and Havana Club both age their white rums and filter it.
16 Mar 2009 at 12:45 PM 10. Tiare
Yes, this rum is great, as i also can attest in the post i made in january. What i especially like is the buttery aftertaste, its deliscious! and especially the platinum is a dream to sip neat.
Is it good in a Mai Tai? that was intersting to read, actually that drink never crossed my mind to mix with these rums as they are quite delicate.I better go and mix myself one Mai Tai with E8 right away(and now i also got thirsty.)
Which of the rums did you use, both or the gold?
Cheers!
T
16 Mar 2009 at 1:34 PM 11. andreas
We are looking at an RRP of around $35-$40.
16 Mar 2009 at 6:15 PM 12. Gonçalo
… lenthening Bastians comment even further:
After aging and filtering coulor might be added.
Consistancy is the purpose !?
17 Mar 2009 at 4:36 AM 13. Phil Gomes
@rumdood:
I agree… Not only is Oronoco incredible, but I often can’t bear to throw away the bottle when finished.
Now… If only I can get my hands on this [e]8 stuff…
17 Mar 2009 at 1:37 PM 14. Alan Akwai
How many colors are offered? ;)
20 Mar 2009 at 4:17 PM 15. Ebbe H.
The best cocktail place in my town features this rum pretty heavily on their shelves, but I’ve always asked for Havana Club instead because the square bottle has been a bit of a turn-off. I guess I was too quick to dismiss it as a gimmick spirit and will try it the next time I get the chance.
25 Mar 2009 at 3:02 PM 16. Garretto
Is it a coincidence? Today Jamie Boudreau posted a shaking-how-to video on the Small Screen Network.
He only covered how to use a Boston Shaker —the banana coupling of the glass and tin, and where exactly to tap it for easy separation. Both points I had not considered and my shaker will be happy when I skip the usual beating next round.
Very good tips actually, coupled with your lengthier, more encompassing video the novice has the complete works of Shakesphere.
(sorry). Anyway, your both great sources; did you guys work this out together?
25 Mar 2009 at 3:07 PM 17. Garretto
Oops,sorry. I hit the wrong comments section. This was regarding the video “My turn in the barrel”
31 Mar 2009 at 1:46 PM 18. Dominik MJ - opinionated alchemist
I had the pleasure to try both Elements 8 rums.
My verdict is not as overwhelming as Jeffreys – though not bad at all…
I actually like Elements 8 Platinum most. It has some quite robust flavors – though still is crisp and attractive. I would say, one of the best white rums available [I couldn't yet get my hands on Ruby Rey or Oronoco]!
I would even say that it is as good [or even better] than 10Cane.
Though I don’t find the gold Elements 8 so impressive. It is without any doubt good; though there are other kids of the block, doing the job even better.
By the way – I don’t even know one white Molasses rum which is not aged and not charcoal filtered. Even the folks of Bacardi using this procedure [and if I am not wrong, they actually applied it to rum].
To my knowledge Rhum Agricole and Cachaca [both made from fresh sugar cane juice] are the only products of sugar cane products which can be sold unaged… though I could be wrong…
cheers!
Dominik MJ
02 Apr 2009 at 12:38 PM 19. andreas
dominik,
there are a few molasses based white rums that are not aged. the most obvious that cmes to my mind right now is Wray & Nephew White Overproof, which comes straight off the still, is blended with purley unaged rum and then reduced to 63%abv…
glad to hear you are a fan of our Platinum rum!
AR
11 Apr 2009 at 2:14 PM 20. Dominik MJ
@andreas:
You are sure that W&N white overproof is a molasses rum, which is unaged? I didn’t knew that; and the taste is more like a fresh sugar cane juice spirit, than a molasses rum…
Anyway – we can agree, that most white rums are aged and active carbon filtered – though doesn’t make the Elements eight platinum any worse…
12 Apr 2009 at 3:59 AM 21. andreas
all of jamaica’s rums, including Wray & Nephew are molasses based. and it is definitely unaged.
the reason you may think it is an agricole is because it is blended using predominantly high ester, pot still rums – hence the pungent, ‘over-ripe’ fruit nose
12 Apr 2009 at 5:36 PM 22. Rico
I am very excited to taste some of this fine product ;)
22 Apr 2009 at 6:35 AM 23. tumbrourl
mm.. thanks