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.
02 Sep 2011 at 11:15 AM 1. Rick D
A tasty, complex drink with ingredients that I don’t have to go to a specialty store in Nepal for. Nice work, Jeffrey!
02 Sep 2011 at 12:31 PM 2. Rocky
Have you tried the Damon Boelte’s Alpine Sour?
02 Sep 2011 at 12:49 PM 3. AJR
This looks great Jeffrey. Can’t wait to try this out in our bar. Cheers from a fan in DC!
03 Sep 2011 at 8:26 AM 4. venice blue
Gotta try this one- looks delicious!
After a long night in trenches, my comrades and I mix up a batch of fernet, fresh lemon and simple syrup- with tiniest bit of canton in there- shaken hard, then strained. Serve it with a twist of orange if you have any left- lol!
We always called it the San Francisco treat… Makes your feet stop aching almost instantly ; )
I am an avid lurked- absolutely love your stuff.
04 Sep 2011 at 7:34 AM 5. Sarah
A fellow bartender once told me that heavily bitter and sour cocktails intrigue him because by the end of the night they’re all he can taste well enough to appreciate. :-)
04 Sep 2011 at 9:16 AM 6. Tiare
This is right up my alley is all i say. I`m gonna try it. Thanks! i`m drooling already..
05 Sep 2011 at 2:46 PM 7. Jaded
Is there a published recipe for Elena’s Virtue?
05 Sep 2011 at 2:49 PM 8. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Jaded – it’s linked above, you just have to scroll down, it’s buried in the page on Andrew’s blog.
06 Sep 2011 at 1:08 AM 9. Adam
Looks great Jeffrey cant wait to try it.
06 Sep 2011 at 11:56 AM 10. Kennedy @ That's the Spirit
Sounds and looks god J. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to trying one. Or more :)
10 Sep 2011 at 6:13 PM 11. Jon Santer
Who’s taking your photos these days? Good looking bro.
10 Sep 2011 at 7:45 PM 12. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Thanks, Jonny! All photos taken by myself. Jeffrey Morgenthaler, 2011.
13 Sep 2011 at 8:31 PM 13. Rowen
Man, I loved this when I had it at the restaurant. Favorite on the list.
27 Sep 2011 at 7:38 PM 14. Federico Cuco
I’ll definitely try and offer to my customers the first week of October, when my crusade for clarito ends.
You know that Argentines are lovers of Fernet Branca.
And I relly like this kind of drink.
Thanks for always bringing us delicious cocktails.
Best Regards from the far South
Fede Cuco
28 Sep 2011 at 11:11 PM 15. Adrian Zywno
Sounds Great! Am I picking up any reference to The Clash from its name, and the discarded one alike?
22 Dec 2011 at 7:05 PM 16. Matthias Galvin
Jeff,
Nice cocktail. It will certainly go into my summer repertoire (and maybe an upcoming night when I crank the heat too high).
Just one question: Because it’s damn near impossible to squeeze your own pineapple juice, what would you recommend for it? I’d used old Dole pineapple juice on times I’ve made a Singapore Sling, but I find the proportion usually needs to be halved, otherwise the drink comes out too sweet.
What’s your pineapple drink of choice?
10 Jan 2012 at 6:39 PM 17. Nicie Nice
The Kingston Rum Punch at Rum Bar @ The Breadfruit. The key here is hand-squeezed pineapple juice. Rum Bar isn’t about expediency, it’s about experience.
Ingredients:
1 oz. Wray & Nephew White Over-proof Rum
1 ½ oz. Fresh Squeezed Orange juice
1 ½ oz. hand squeezed Pineapple juice
½ oz. lime juice
½ oz. homemade grenadine (pomegranate juice, simple syrup and turbinado sugar)
¼ oz. passion fruit
Float of Meyers Original Dark Rum
Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Punch the air with love and pour results into high ball glass. Top off with Meyers Dark as a floater to finish. Garnish glass with a fresh slice of pineapple.
http://www.thebreadfruit.com
15 Jan 2012 at 1:13 AM 18. Barguy
When I first saw the list of ingredients, I remarked: Drambuie & pineapple juice do not belong in the same mixing glass.
I was wrong….
It took a few sips to decide if I liked this cocktail. It starts off in one direction & ends up somewhere completely unexpected.
I’ve made this drink for a lot of customers & everyone wants another.
Good show Morgenthaler!
26 Jan 2012 at 3:30 PM 19. Nate
Served this last night and everyone who tried it was immensely impressed. I think the ingredients seem a little unfamiliar or daunting to many, but the adventurous were definitely rewarded. Thanks for the recipe!
16 May 2012 at 10:30 AM 20. Claire
I know you probably hear stories like this all the time but I had to tell you, you’re basically dictating cocktail trends for my entire city (Perth, Australia). Not only has one of the best bars recently added this to their list, but they and two others now have a barrel-aged program going. If you ever make your way here you might find yourself getting severely paparazzi’ed!
17 Feb 2013 at 11:07 AM 21. Malin Nevins
Well done! After a long night of entertaining strangers in my home, I had a few friends stop by and mixed this for them. There were so many layers to this cocktail, it helped wash away an evening of forced conversation, ending a challenging day on a very happy note. Thank you!