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.
19 Jul 2012 at 11:59 AM 1. Mike
Is there a particular rum you recommend for this?
19 Jul 2012 at 12:00 PM 2. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Mike – I used El Dorado 12 Year in the video.
19 Jul 2012 at 12:25 PM 3. Ryan
Hey Jeff, longtime reader, first time caller. Ha. Maybe second time. Anywho, do you do that half ounce simple recipe only when using dem rum? Just wondering how dry a 2.5/.75/.5 would be with something white. I guess I’ll test this out tonight. Hope to see you during Tales!
19 Jul 2012 at 12:27 PM 4. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Ryan – I forgot to mention it in the video, but we’re using 2:1 simple syrup here, for both white and aged rums (although you can adjust to taste with the sweeter rums)
19 Jul 2012 at 12:46 PM 5. Joseph
I hardly ever comment on videos, but I just wanted to say that that was one of the best shot and most well done drink video I’ve seen. I hope you continue to make more, for I look forward to them! Also looking forward to trying out that recipe!
19 Jul 2012 at 12:50 PM 6. Andrew
Been way too long since your last post, got real tired of making the same brandy old fashioned. Welcome back and thanks for the video.
19 Jul 2012 at 2:06 PM 7. Marc
So the nose-wiping part is optional?
19 Jul 2012 at 2:12 PM 8. sambarfly
nice way to explain a cocktail thru a video, but I’m a little bit disapointed to see a bottle of Bacardi 1909 on the shelf behind you, and in the same time you use a dark rum. to me, with all the respect due to your position, you haven’t catch the “Daiquiri spirit” wich has been given par mr. Cox, using caster sugar and “spanish” white ron. have you tried it already?
19 Jul 2012 at 3:26 PM 9. James
So cool to have you on the Small Screen Network’s site … looking forward to more and to trying this recipe out!
19 Jul 2012 at 3:33 PM 10. Jenny Adams
Small Screen Rocks! (oh, and you’re alright too)
19 Jul 2012 at 7:27 PM 11. j
Just tried this recipe and it is amazing. Somehow making lime a lower proportion of the overall drink makes it taste exponentially more “limey”
19 Jul 2012 at 8:25 PM 12. Freddy
Well, well done. Where I come from, mention a Daquiri to 9 out of 10 “bartenders,” and they’ll instantly pull out the blender and start shoving strawberry puree in there. Most folks in this town have now clue that it’s actually a simple cocktail – not frozen and no strawberries.
19 Jul 2012 at 11:43 PM 13. Adam K
Excellent Jeffrey! You bring a certain amount of (is this a word?) unpretentiousness to this business and I applaud you for it. You have an air of realism about you that many newcomers to the craft cocktail scene lack. That comes from life experience and it is invaluable in this career of ours. This is exactly the recipe I use and there is none better. At my bar, my house daiquiri is made with Sailor Jerry. We do not have a blender in house and any strawberries are muddled to order. Can’t get more working man than that! Bravo, sir.
20 Jul 2012 at 1:28 PM 14. Brian (the loungasaurus)
Jeffrey,
You are getting better as you age, in smarts,
appearance (?), but most important, finding the soul of a great traditional cocktail. HUZZAH!
20 Jul 2012 at 1:57 PM 15. Jack Tarantino
Your recipes make me happy!
20 Jul 2012 at 10:09 PM 16. Geoff
Wow, just tried this recipie, best daiquiri yet. Simple and perfect.
Keep up with these videos.
21 Jul 2012 at 11:50 AM 17. David Montgomery
A little drier than I prefer, but very nice. (Although with the ED12, I bet it’s close.)
So cool to see you on SSN. I could watch quality videos like this all day.
21 Jul 2012 at 6:42 PM 18. Patrick
Jeffery- glad you caught yourself in the video. It would have made my innocent ears bleed. Definitely the right call on the ingredient proportions too – tastes a lot better than the other “official” recipes I’ve run across until now.
22 Jul 2012 at 4:34 PM 19. Ryan
2:1 would definitely make it sweet enough! Although, I made it on Thursday with 1:1 simple, and it was still balanced. We use 2:1 dem, not white, and 1:1 regular. I’ve got some experimenting to do. If I see you this week, I know what I’m Dealer’s Choice-ing you…
22 Jul 2012 at 6:25 PM 20. Hank
I learned how to make a proper Daiquri in Key West. Pretty much as demonstrated. My special flair? I make my simple syrup out of Turbindo sugar, it brings a delightful essence to the drink. I also prefer a nice gold rum, a touch less aged then the El Dorado. The goal: to have a drink the color of the water curling off the bow as you skim over the sand flats towards Las Tortugas.
22 Jul 2012 at 10:44 PM 21. ted mills
Tried two different ways based on your ratios. Not having your rum selection around, and other sweetening options, I tried:
Whaler’s dark + lime + agave nectar
and
Appleton + lime + 1:1 simple syrup
Right now I’m liking the Whaler’s version first.
25 Jul 2012 at 9:14 AM 22. PeterR
Jeffrey
Never posted before and having recently got into making proper cocktails I found your site and voraciously went through all your old posts. Wonderful stuff.
I’m currently enjoying a daiquiri right now – just outside of London UK – it’s 90F, sunny, no breeze and this drink is perfect.
I made it using some Bacardi knocking about the house but the other rum options here are some Lambs navy rum – pretty bog standard dark rum and then some diplomatico exclusiva reserva and some ron zacapa (the last 100mls of a litre bottle) – i’ve never used these last 2 in cocktails before – always been sipping rums – do you think these aged rums are worth trying here? Bear in mind a 75ml bottle of Zacapa costs about $75. But good ingredients make good cocktails I guess.
Love the small screen network and looking forward to your next video.
25 Jul 2012 at 9:17 AM 23. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Hey PeterR – Yeah, I used El Dorado 12 Year aged rum in that video, as I do quite often at home, and it tasted great. Glad you liked the video!
28 Jul 2012 at 8:40 AM 24. Bridget from Refined Vintage
This sounds like the perfect daiquiri! Fresh Lime is the key ingredient in many of my favorites cocktails. I have never had a simple daiquiri made this way, (I did not care for the version made with a mix, yuck!!) I plan on making your version tonight! Great for summer!
31 Jul 2012 at 7:15 AM 25. Federico Cuco
Jeff , I do not know if you say this in English, me saco el chapeau (I take my hat).
Unfortunately here in South America many bad cantineros, do not understand the beauty of a well-made daiquiri.
I follow your blog for years and I consider you one of my teachers,
I look forward to more videos
Fede Cuco
13 Aug 2012 at 3:31 PM 26. Martin Oldsberg
Just wish you would think about us victims of Napoleon who are stuck with the metric system … (I may have complained about this before, if so plz forgive me). Of course we can´t expect you to disavow your own measurements, but could “parts” be hoped for in the videos …?
I´m getting on in my years and I´ll be damned if I ever learn thoses ounces, or stones, or gills, or cups or whatever.
“Parts” could have an interesting neutrality to it.
cheers,
Martin
05 Jan 2013 at 12:11 PM 27. Joao Morandi
Trully inspiration for us here in Brasil. We are a bunch of new bartenders studying the science behind mixology(but not the fancy wanna be annoyig way), trying the DYS way and going for natural and season ingridients. To find people looking for perfection and simplicity combined with quality work inspires us to keep going towards a new generation of bartending. Cheers, mate.
15 Jan 2013 at 9:18 AM 28. Jesse
I live in Central America and can pass some tips on aged rums:
Easiest to find / best bet:
Ron Zacappa 23 Años (Guatemalan)
I’ve seen this in the states for $40. This is one of the tastiest rums in the world.
Another great option is:
Ron Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva (Venezuela)
And I might be skewed but I’m a huge fan of the Ron Abuelo (Panama) brand:
Ron Abuelo Añejo
Ron Abuelo 7 Años
Ron Abuelo 12 Años
I think I’ve see the 7 year in the states for $30.
And for those who might be wondering “Ron” is “Rum” in spanish.
15 Jan 2013 at 11:39 AM 29. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Great advice, but do note that nowhere on the Zacapa bottle does the word “años” appear. The rum is delicious but definitely not 23 years old.
15 Jan 2013 at 11:58 AM 30. Jesse
Nice observation Jeffrey.. however only partially right.
Well first correction of my post is Zacapa is only one p not 2 as I originally stated. And the bottle says “a mixture of (bunch of adjectives) rums with ages of 6-23 years”
See label here:
http://i.imgur.com/BIFPx.jpg
And the label technically says:
Ron Zacapa Centenario
Then at the bottom it says:
Sistema Solera 23
Now I’ve also had there 15 which is quite good and runs about $25 but not haven’t seen that in the states.
Interestingly the other part of their pitch is that it’s aged at an altitude of 2300 meters
Either way I’m interested to make a Daiquiri as I’m always just sipping these babies straight.
Also if you can ever get you hands on the mentioned Ron Abuelo they make the tastiest rum and cokes / cuba libres I’ve tried. Añejo or 7 is perfect for that. Kicks the shit out of any clear rum, or nasties like captain or myers. It’s unfortunate most of the world has not discovered rum yet.. it’s a great world.. and way cheaper than whiskey haha.
:)
15 Jan 2013 at 12:02 PM 31. Jesse
And finally if you can’t find any proper rums, Appleton is probably the most widely available aged rum in the states. While overpriced and not my favorite.. it is a proper rum.
Anyone who’s into Rum should take a trip to a major city in Central America or the Caribbean. You’ll find all kinds of delights that never make it north.