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.
13 Mar 2012 at 10:45 AM 1. Mutineer Magazine
Very cool, and the punch sounds incredible.
I had no idea Food Savers had gotten so cheap, I’ll have to get one and try this.
Thanks Jeffrey!
13 Mar 2012 at 12:03 PM 2. Carol K
If this works it’s a brilliant idea! I will try it myself and let you know if it works. Thanks Jeffery!
13 Mar 2012 at 12:31 PM 3. tkw
what do you do with the lemons? my experience is that the juice from zested lemons is (unsurprisingly) bitter. i can reduce the bitterness by scrubbing them under cold water first, but it doesn’t completely go away. any tips?
13 Mar 2012 at 12:36 PM 4. Derek E
I love the punches you make at the Clyde. I drank a few glasses yesterday.
13 Mar 2012 at 12:41 PM 5. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
We juice the lemons, I’ve never noticed any unpleasant bitterness from a peeled lemon. Honestly, there doesn’t seem to be any reason why you should need to scrub them under cold water, but maybe I’m missing something here?
13 Mar 2012 at 12:41 PM 6. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Thanks, Derek!
13 Mar 2012 at 12:47 PM 7. Jon G
Smart man. Thanks!
13 Mar 2012 at 12:52 PM 8. Tomas
You are seriously on a roll right now, My man! Really great stuff, please keep it up!
13 Mar 2012 at 1:28 PM 9. Lucy
Thank you, I love this. Listen, I wonder if these sacks of goodness could be frozen. Could I do partial batches of this in advance when we get the good lemons and then keep them frozen for use throughout the year? I will scale down and try this recipe, I appreciate your having shared it.
13 Mar 2012 at 1:30 PM 10. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
It’s possible, but I can’t vouch for the texture of those lemon peels once they’re defrosted. You very well might end up with a punchbowl full of lemon mush, I really don’t know.
14 Mar 2012 at 11:20 AM 11. Georgia
You may be “lazy”, but you are a remarkably talented and productive bartender. Great procedure, thank you for sharing!
15 Mar 2012 at 9:07 AM 12. Josh
As always, an amazing tip!!! Thanks so much for the blog, it has literally transformed my interests and abilities re: cocktails.
Do you have any suggestions for a punch that uses somewhat less, um, “esoteric” ingredients? In the flyover states, it can often be difficult to get a hold of many of these without great expense…
Thx!!
15 Mar 2012 at 9:10 AM 13. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Thanks for the kind words, Josh. Here’s another from David Wondrich that we use all the time, the Garrick Club Punch. The only slightly obscure ingredient is maraschino liqueur. Try it out!
15 Mar 2012 at 9:56 AM 14. Tony Harion
We´ve been doing something similar to make vanilla syrup, just need to add some water to the mix.
(using the sugar + a muddler as an abrasive to remove more flavor is pretty great)
We do heat it in a sous vide, but a bain marie would probably do the trick very well.
The flavor is VERY intense.
Cheers Jeff.
17 Mar 2012 at 9:57 AM 15. Kurt
Great tip! Made some at the bar last night. It was cool to watch the transformation take place. When making a punch do you add the entire contents of the bag, peels and all? Cheers and thanks for the inspiration!!
17 Mar 2012 at 10:37 AM 16. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Kurt – Wondrich says that the peels are optional; you can leave them in or strain them out. Personally, I like to leave them in and make sure I ladle one into each punch glass when serving. But that’s just me.
01 Apr 2012 at 7:32 AM 17. Mike
Hi Jeffrey. I’ve been toying around with making the recipe for the cocktail hour at my wedding this may. I was wondering about how many servings you get out of each batch?
16 Apr 2012 at 11:58 AM 18. Greg P.
Jeffrey,
If one can’t procure peach brandy is there a reasonable substitute to use?
thanks for all the info.
Greg
19 Apr 2012 at 9:29 AM 19. Micker
Greg-
Briotette creme de peche is not a peach brandy, it is a peach liqueur. The original recipe calls for 12 straight Peach Brandy (and no applejack); however, as you already found out, it can be very difficult to find. So, Wondrich improvised by using a mix of applejack and peach liqueur. Luckily in the Milwaukee area, Great Lakes Distillery has recently released an authentic peach brandy. Limited run and kind of pricey (something like $30/375ml)
20 Apr 2012 at 10:46 AM 20. Micker
I just wanted to qualify my last statement – when I said “pricey” I just meant in a general sense. Their peach brandy is a great product and worth every penny. Great Lakes is a wonderful distillery and it’s very nice having them in my backyard.
Also, Mike – the recipe notes that it will make about 5.5 quarts.
24 Apr 2012 at 9:20 PM 21. Greg P.
Micker,
Thanks for the reply. Ooops, I meant liqueur, not brandy. I don’t have access to the Great Lakes Distillery peach brandy but I can get some Marie Brizard peach liqueur. Can anyone vouch for it? Will it do in a pinch?
Greg
12 Oct 2012 at 10:07 PM 22. Craig
Jeffrey,
I’m late to this post, but can you clarify which Applejack you are using? There’s Laird’s standard Applejack (which is grain neutral spirits with apple flavoring), Laird’s 7 year real Apple Brandy, Laird’s Bonded (real Apple Brandy too), and a 12yr old Apple Brandy as well.
I would appreciate any help as I’m going to make a batch next week.
05 Mar 2013 at 7:39 AM 23. Allan Lederman
Hi, Jeffrey.
I had to comment on that punch, I tried it last night and it is simply great, recommended for those that have yet to try it!
Best, Allan.