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.
15 Aug 2012 at 1:06 PM 1. jake
I saw the limes go in and was like, “okay, its not a mint julep but I’ll let it slide so far,” and then I kept watching. And now I’m taking a spoon to my eyeballs.
15 Aug 2012 at 1:14 PM 2. MikeQ
Great presentation! You’re the man on this stuff. Maybe you can answer something for me … when I first learned the drink I was told that the mint best releases its aroma when the leaves are dry, and then cracked gently … that if they’re wet they won’t “crack” open as much. Is this not really that important?
15 Aug 2012 at 1:16 PM 3. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
MikeQ you definitely definitely definitely want fresh mint for this. And all drinks that call for mint. Trust me on this one.
15 Aug 2012 at 1:41 PM 4. Aztnass
I was sure it couldn’t possibly be as bad as you were making it out to be. I was wrong. Kentucky should sue, or we should flag it for inappropriate content.
15 Aug 2012 at 2:08 PM 5. Federico Cuco
These videos are very bad, because they give misinformation, to the young bartenders.
In my case, I try to teach things as correct, always looking for good sources, books and discussions with good bartenders.
But if one of my students view a video, naming a leading brand of bourbon, a video filmed in America. Casts doubt what I (just a South American cantinero) can say.
The people in charge of promotions of these leading companies, they would have better advice.
Jeff thank you very much for always putting in the correct light Mixology.
Federico Cuco
Buenos Aires
15 Aug 2012 at 2:38 PM 6. Jack Tarantino
Haha! I love your face talking about that video. I watched it before I read the rest of your post and was astounded at what she made. It reminds me of the “cocktails” I used to get served in college that were poured out of a fountain. Thanks for another good and exacting recipe :)
15 Aug 2012 at 2:48 PM 7. Scott Schiffmacher
I watched this long ago when you first mentioned it, but I didn’t remember it being this horrible. I can’t imagine anybody who’s learned the most basic thing about mixing drinks would think this looked good. I cringed when she topped it off with Sprite..
15 Aug 2012 at 2:50 PM 8. Julie
is it terrible that the thing I noticed that horrified me the most was not the sour mix or the Rose’s (wth?) but the fact that she was shaking her drink with the glass towards her guests? Eeek.
15 Aug 2012 at 2:52 PM 9. mojitoo
your videos are just like apple spots. its just like youre presenting the mint julep + retina display !! its art :D
i really really love your videos…and youre damn right!!
thx jeffrey!!
15 Aug 2012 at 4:26 PM 10. Zeech
EPIC.
So glad to see you posting regularly again, please keep it up, these are brilliant and needed!
15 Aug 2012 at 4:46 PM 11. Valerie
Had not seen the first video… my jaw dropped at her concoction. But that distracted me, at least, from getting bitchy about the whole… um, exposed cleavage factor.
Your recipes always kill it, IMO, so thanks. But also love the production style, love the black & white and the relaxed commentary. Keep it coming!
And any comment on the herb smacking (that sounds SO wrong) as opposed to muddling, per Jamie Boudreau’s rec? My hands are red from slapping these damned herbs, then not sure it matters when I proceed to shake them with ice. Just wondering.
15 Aug 2012 at 7:20 PM 12. MikeQ
Jeffrey, sorry I didn’t explain my question better … yes definitely fresh mint (at Johnny D’s we grow our own on the flat roof.) What I meant was … is there an advantage to cracking the mint when it’s fresh but by itself (what I meant by “dry”), as opposed to adding the limes and any liquid that would make them wet before doing so? An old timer told me that when you crack fresh mint leaves by themselves they better release the aroma, whereas when you muddle them with any liquid, the mint is wet … they are more “stirred in the soup.”
15 Aug 2012 at 8:09 PM 13. The Designer
I’ll be the first to admit that i’ve never had a mint julep, but that snow cone seems very oddly misplaced in the old south where I usually place the drink. Is this just your modified improvement on the drink our truly a purist take on it?
15 Aug 2012 at 8:43 PM 14. Tyler
I like to think of that woman’s video as a “cocktail snuff film.”
16 Aug 2012 at 1:20 AM 15. Ulric
Love it!!!!
The original video reminds me of Darcy’s Art Of Drink’s controversial blog
One would think she has read it and is trying to prove his point!
16 Aug 2012 at 5:03 AM 16. Chris Hill
Wow, that was upsetting to watch. Her saying “and don’t forget to add the Sprite” was really twisting the knife.
Have you seen Chris McMillian’s video on making a Mint Julep on YouTube? It’s a real pleasure. A different technique to yours.
16 Aug 2012 at 8:13 AM 17. Brandon
This Lexington, KY bartender just threw-up in his mouth. Blasphemy!
I’ve found that Henry Clay’s recipe is most bartender-friendly while tending a full counter…
16 Aug 2012 at 9:18 AM 18. Brian
Great video, amazing classic cocktail and recipe. Perfect for summer! Where are you getting those julep cups by the way, and what would you recommend polishing them with? We have a few at the Fifth Floor, but I can’t find the right polish to keep them looking bright and shiny.
16 Aug 2012 at 10:07 AM 19. Nick Britsky
Love it! Any recommendations for purchasing some cool Julip cups like yours and more importantly give you some sort of credit for it. Can I click on an Amazon link on the right of here? Can I just tell Cocktail Kingdom to split the profit with you? :)
16 Aug 2012 at 9:35 PM 20. Nate Rushton
Great video! Another classic. We were having a discussion at our bar about what kind of mint is best for mojitos or mint juleps? I recently bought a mint start from our local nursery that was called “mojito” mint.
Also, have you experimented with other mint varieties in cocktails such as lemon, orange and grapefruit?
17 Aug 2012 at 9:58 AM 21. Fred Rogers
That was definitely not a mint julep: it was just a mess in my opinion.
Your version is right on! Very similar to the way I have made mint juleps for the past forty years. A very simple, but delicious, drink. Thanks.
18 Aug 2012 at 10:32 AM 22. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Nate – The classic Mojito mint is called Yerba Buena, and it’s probably what you’re describing. The best mint to use in most other cocktails is spearmint, but I do think it bears experimenting with other types such as apple mint.
18 Aug 2012 at 2:47 PM 23. Eric
I’m liking these videos, but I have to point out an excerpt from the entry “The Barate Kid” (http://www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com/2007/the-barate-kid/):
“Show me Old Fashioned.”
“Okay, what should I do differently this time?”
“Use a sprig of mint, a sugar cube, and a couple of lime wedges.”
He carefully muddles the ingredients in a glass and reaches for the bourbon.
“Wait! Use the silver rum.”
He adds the rum, ice, and tops the drink with soda water.
“You’ve just made a mojito, Nathan-san”
20 Aug 2012 at 8:11 AM 24. Chris
As I learn more and more about cocktails, I’m amazed at how much a lot of bartenders don’t know anything about the classic drinks. You mentioned the Old Fashioned and this last weekend I was in a bar I had never tried before so I decided to use my standard test of the Old Fashioned. To my horror he added both Dry Vermouth and club soda to the mix. Where are these bartenders get such misinformation? The reason I ask is because I have never found an Old Fashioned recipe that includes dry vermouth or a mint julep that has anything other than mint, sugar, bourbon, and ice.
To make matters worse, he was training another bartender on the drink that he was screwing up for me!
20 Aug 2012 at 8:47 AM 25. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Eric – ;)
That’s definitely how I thought five years ago!
20 Aug 2012 at 11:53 AM 26. Eric
Hi Jeffrey. I should clarify that I didn’t mean to criticize in pointing this out. There’s obviously a difference in mindset and authority between your Barate Kid article and the Woodford Reserve mint julep video. It is interesting, though, to see an example of how cocktails can remain a learning process and evolution even for the leading practitioners, and even for the most classic drinks. I’m looking forward to the next video in this series.
21 Aug 2012 at 6:46 AM 27. The Boo Lion
I love the videos. You look good on them, Mr Morgenthaler, and I loved trying your Daiquiri. I just hope that you’re not setting a theme here of ‘have a laugh at the poor misguided bad bartender’. No matter how awfully, horribly, terribly they mess up otherwise wonderful drinks, we really shouldn’t take too much of the piss out of them, should we? Heaven forbid that the cocktail scene start being thought of as elitist and snobbish ;-)
21 Aug 2012 at 9:39 AM 28. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
That’s the last video where I rag on other bartender, Brian, I promise. The rest of the videos are pretty boring, just me making drinks for you.
22 Aug 2012 at 6:07 AM 29. The Boo Lion
Nice. Keep up the standard of the last two videos, and you run no risk whatsoever of boring us.
22 Aug 2012 at 9:31 PM 30. Ray
Jeffrey, excellent video! Let no mixology crime go unanswered! I’m not sure what she was mixing, but it sure was confusing! If I wanted to publish such a drink on my blog – well – I wouldn’t! But if I did I would make up a new name like: Minty Lime Disaster! It might even gain a following. Truth in advertising is everything. Perhaps we can all chip in and send that bar rescue guy out there to straighten up da place!
23 Aug 2012 at 2:52 PM 31. Noal
If you you that is good, check out this video. If you can get by the shot of the guy stirring the sugar cube around his old fashioned, the other few will definitely get you.
http://youtu.be/X5Dsemc20pg
26 Aug 2012 at 7:12 AM 32. cheesepirate
I have a lot of reasons for not drinking at nightclubs, but that first video illustrates one of the biggest ones. Yikes. I don’t bartend professionally, and I take shortcuts at home (I throw a big handful of mint into my simple syrup as it cools when I make it, and only use fresh for garnish — it works for me), but I sorta think a good bartender’s manual would go a long way there. Although, in my experience, nightclubs in general are not a great place to get a cocktail. I haven’t ordered a cocktail at a nightclub since 2003’s great Tom Collins Disaster, which required three trips back to the bar, and ended with me drinking beer.
29 Aug 2012 at 5:52 PM 33. Michelle
Jeffrey, do you always use 2:1 simple syrup? If not, when do you use 1:1 and 2:1? Loved the video! Very informative!
01 Sep 2012 at 6:50 AM 34. Laine Doss
WTF was that? Sprite? Holy hell that was a waste. Somewhere the bourbon gods are weeping rust-colored tears.
03 Oct 2012 at 2:12 PM 35. Geert
You know, I can’t get over the fact that she used both real muddled limes, rose’s limejuice ánd sourmix. I’m surprised no one mentioned that here before. Or actually I’m not, since there were so many other weird things to mention.
07 Oct 2012 at 4:17 AM 36. Saylor
The only thing good about that video was her cleavage….just saying! sprite? reallly?
26 Oct 2012 at 10:37 AM 37. Dirk
Unfortunately the RSS feed (http://www.smallscreennetwork.com/feed/appletv/733 ) is not working, as it’s empty
26 Oct 2012 at 6:00 PM 38. Larry Miller
You’ve got to be kidding. That’s disgusting.
11 Nov 2012 at 10:03 PM 39. Katie
Dont forget to garnish with most flacid piece of mint you can find
14 Nov 2012 at 4:46 PM 40. Stew
Yaaarrgh!!
17 Nov 2012 at 8:52 AM 41. Stephen Hewes
As a mint julep? Total mindf**k of a trainwreck. Additionally, if that’s their method for a Mojito? Bottled water is my drink of choice in this establishment.
29 Dec 2012 at 1:02 AM 42. christiaan rollich
I know it sucks,
I also know that when I used a soda gun for the firs time I used the T for tonic.
02 Jan 2013 at 10:31 PM 43. Theodore Abbot
She was making a drink? Didn’t notice. I would order milk.
03 Jan 2013 at 11:37 AM 44. Jesse
Excellent post, sir! In recognition for your contribution to Humanity in general and Cocktails in particular, we have voted to award you the prestigious L. Farley Falernum Memorial Award for Mixological Integrity:
http://gentlemenadventurers.com/2013/01/03/valiantly-rescuing-the-mint-julep-from-the-clutches-of-woodford/
Please contact the League of Gentlemen Adventurers to collect your prize!
Quam bene vivas refert, non quam diu!
27 Jan 2013 at 3:04 AM 45. Scruntle
Sir Jeffrey.
When are you going to update your website? Please do it soon.
p.s. i’ve been using a 3:5 sour mix to bourbon ratio at the local Hooters establishment that I run and people have been raving about it… but sometimes I question the quality of mint that we are using. We get our mint from a can, which comes in a sort of mint-soup sauce from Sysco, and I was wondering if it might be worth-while/cost-effective to possibly just going frozen mint on our Juleps there??-as Julep’s are basically a frozen drink.
anyways… i love the pictures on your website–they are super cool!
01 Apr 2013 at 7:28 AM 46. Dave
I love your blog and have missed seeing new posts! Hope you are inspired to write more soon.
11 Apr 2013 at 9:18 PM 47. lily
Omg I think I just threw up a little in my mouth. That’s the most appalling thing I’ve ever seen since my “bartender” added Jack Daniels in my friend’s Long Island. What a bawstardisation of such good bourbon.
17 Apr 2013 at 6:07 AM 48. April Wachtel
Jeffrey, I love this! Randomly found a link to this post, and got a great morning laugh out of it. Thanks!!!!;) April
24 Apr 2013 at 7:36 AM 49. Ian Tuck
It’s that time of year again: http://www.refinery29.com/mint-julep-recipe
[sigh]
Better than the original video, but still.
30 Apr 2013 at 4:46 PM 50. Samuel
Fucking hilarious!