Don Old Fashioned
A hint of agave syrup sweetness and dilution from the stirred ice knocks back the Añejo warmth while opening and releasing mandarin, honey, vanilla flavours.
Ingredients
50ml
Don Julio Añejo
7.5ml
Agave Syrup
2
Dashes of Grapefruit Bitters
1
Grapefruit Rosette (Garnish)
0 units of alcohol per serve
Equipment
1
Ice Scoop
1
Jigger
1
Rocks Glass
1
Bar Spoon
1
Tongs
Serves:
1
Method
Preparation
- Add all ingredients to a Rocks Glass filled with Cubed Ice.
- Stir to combine and dilute.
- Garnish with a Grapefruit Rosette.
Alcohol content
Alcohol content
14.5 g per serve
Interesting facts
The Old-Fashioned cocktail gained renewed interest in the early 2000s, thanks in part to its prominent role on the hit television show Mad Men. The show's main character, Don Draper was often seen sipping on the classic cocktail, which helped to popularise it among a new generation of drinkers.
History of the drink
Although the Old-Fashioned cocktail is known for its American origins, the concept of combining a spirit, sweetener, and bitters in a drink can be traced back to 17th Century England. London apothecary Richard Stoughton created the first aromatic bitters around 1690, which were widely used in British bars and colonies by the mid-1700s.
The first definition of the word ‘Cocktail’ was published in the May 1806 issue of ‘The Balance and Columbian Repository’ in Hudson, New York as a response to a reader's letter. In the following issue, the editor described it as a potent mixture of spirits, bitters, water and sugar – known as a bittered sling. This is essentially the recipe for an Old-Fashioned, which was also referred to as a bittered sling at the time.
The cocktail evolved over time. By the 1860s, orange curaçao, absinthe and other liqueurs were commonly added to the drink. However, as cocktails became more complex many drinkers longed for the simpler, pre-1850s versions of the drink. As a result, the Old- Fashioned cocktail made a comeback. It quickly became one of the most popular cocktails with whiskey being the spirit of choice.
