This very simple, bourbon based, American classic has always been one of my personal favorites. However, I’m always baffled at the ridiculous variations I sometimes receive from “creative” bartenders.
The Old Fashioned was said to be created by a bartender at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky for the the esteemed bourbon aristicrat James E. Pepper. There seemed to be many variations of this cocktail even back then, so when ordering, customers would request the drink be made the “old fashioned way” or “the way my old man would drink it”. Pepper brought the drink to the Waldorf Astoria in New York City where it would gained popularity and spread to bars across the country.
Old Fashioned
Ingredients
2 oz bourbon (we like Buffalo Trace)
1/2 oz simple syrup
3 dashes Angostura bitters
3 dashes orange bitters
garnish: orange peel + brandied cherry
Method
Combine all ingredients in mixing glass with ice. Stir. Strain into rocks glass over large cube. Garnish with a brandied cherry and expressed orange peel.
Variations
There are two opposing types of Old Fashioned drinkers: those who muddle and those who don’t. Muddling can add more flavor while a non-muddled Old Fashioned will drink cleaner. Either way is correct. Again this falls to personal preference. If you choose to muddle or shake with the orange, consider modifing the amount of sugar so the cocktail isn’t too sweet.
Pro tip: Double straining will remove the pulp if you prefer not to “chew” your beverage.
The recipe above is one that I’ve served for years to many happy guests. I also use simple syrup as opposed to a sugar cube or granulated sugar because I do not muddle, shake and double strain, so I want to avoid having undisloved sugar crystals at the bottom of the drink. I also use an extra dash of Angostura and add 3 dashes of orange bitters to replace the orange flavor you’d get from muddling. This super popular, classic cocktail is definately one you should have in your repertoire. Have fun playing with different variations till you find the perfect version for you!
One of my preferred substitutions for whiskey is rum in this drink. Want to give it a try?
Rum Old Fashioned
Ingredients
2 oz rye (Ron Zacapa 23)
1/2 oz simple syrup
3 dashes Angostura bitters
3 dashes orange bitters
garnish: orange peel + brandied cherry
Method
Combine all ingredients in mixing glass with ice. Stir. Strain into rocks glass over large cube. Garnish with a brandied cherry and expressed orange peel.
A Bit of History: James E. Pepper Distillery and the Old Fashioned
James E. Pepper Distilling Company, located in Lexington, Kentucky and established in 1780 is one of the oldest and most legendary brands of whiskey.
It all began in 1776 when Elijah Pepper built his first distillery in the midst of the Revolutionary War. In 1790 when the war ended he moved out west to Virginia and settled in an area that is now known as Woodford County, Kentucky. (Prior to 1782 the area was still part of Virginia.) Elijah built a distillery and later acquired a large piece of land nearby Glen’s Creek where he built another larger distillery and a cabin for his family. This national landmark is now home to Woodford Reserve.
Generations Take Over
Elijah operated a successful distillery until his death in 1838. He left the business to his son Oscar who built an even bigger distillery to keep up with growing demands of the popular whiskey. In 1820 Oscar enlisted the help of the Scottish Doctor James Crow to help improve his product. Crow refined production techniques by introducing scientific methods which produced a higher quality whiskey more consistently. These methods are still used today. In 1867 Oscar passed and left the distillery to his son James E. Pepper.
Having fallen on difficult financial times, James sold the distillery in 1879 and moved to New York City. Years later he would return to Lexington and build the largest bourbon distillery in the United States.
Popularizing the Old Fashioned
Since James was an acclaimed Master Distiller and Kentucky Colonel, he used his clout during his many visits to NYC and the Waldorf Astoria in particular, to popularized the Old Fashioned. During these trips he was known to socialize with plethora of American aristocrats industry, including Theodore Roosevelt, C.V. Vanderbilt, Charles A. Pillsbury, Fred Pabst, John D. Rockefeller, Levi P. Morton, William Steinway and Charles L. Tiffany.
Pepper flamboyantly promoted his whiskey as the oldest and best whiskey in the United States and nicknamed his whiskey “Old 1776” as a tribute to his great grandfather and the year it all started. He was an ambitious advocate for his business and in 1890 persuaded the state of Kentucky to change its bottling laws so Pepper could bottle whiskey at the distillery. Previously, the law stated that you could only sell barrels from a distillery. If there was whiskey in a bottle it was because the purchaser did the bottling. James E. Pepper was said to be one of the best distillers in the world.
In 1906 while visiting the Waldorf Astoria, James sipped on ice and severely fractured his leg. He died a few days later on Christmas Eve from complications from the break. He left a handsome estate to his wife and the distillery was sold to investors and continued production. Before his death James had stashed away 300 barrels of his best bourbon for his personal reserve. In March of 1907, one of these barrels was accidentally sold to the Reed Hotel. It was quickly acknowledged as Colonel Pepper’s reserve and orders piled in.
On July 4, 1910, James E. Pepper whiskey sponsored the first African-American Heavyweight championship in the world where Jack Johnson defeated Jim Jeffries in the fight of the century.
Prohibition
During prohibition, the Pepper distillery was one of very few sites that were authorized to warehouse the liquor and sell whiskey for medicinal purposes. With over 37,000 doctors endorsing the label, brand awareness spread quickly. The whiskey was sold at six times the price and advertised as a remedy for malaria and tuberculosis in pharmacies by 1910. James E. Pepper was able to survive prohibition when so many others were permanently shut down. When prohibition ended the distillery flourished.
During WWII production ceased and the distillery was repurposed into an industrial alcohol manufacturing site. Whiskey production returned to normal after the war but with the Korean War approaching the fear of another shut down grew and production was greatly increased. Soon after the bourbon industry fell on hard times and distilling slowed while the excess reserves were sold.
In 1958 the distillery ceased operations all together. The aged reserves were sold all the way into the 1970’s.
Today
In 2008 Entrepreneur Amir Peay acquired the rights to the brand and spent over a decade researching and sorting through historical material in preparation re-launch. He used the mechanical drawings he discovered when designing the new stills so they resemble the old system. He even used Vendome Copper, the same company that constructed the stills in 1934. On December 21, 2017 the distillery once again began operation using the same original mash builds from 1958.