The Old Fashioned

When someone first wrote down a definition of the word cocktail, in 1806, they described a drink of spirit, sugar, water, and bitters. That is not a recipe for an old fashioned. That is the old fashioned. The drink is, quite literally, the original — the thing the word was invented to name.

Everything else at the bar is a variation on, or a reaction to, this one small idea.

THE IDEA

Spirit — bourbon or rye — sweetened just slightly, lengthened by the slow melt of a single large piece of ice, and given depth by a few dashes of bitters. A twist of orange or lemon for the oil. That is the whole drink. There is nowhere to hide in it, which is why bartenders are quietly judged by theirs.

The name itself is a small piece of history. As the 19th century went on, cocktails grew elaborate — more liqueurs, more flourishes. Drinkers who wanted the original began asking for their whiskey done the old-fashioned way. The name was a request to go back, and it stuck.

HOW TO MAKE ONE

Sugar cube or a small spoon of syrup in the glass. A few dashes of bitters. A little stir to dissolve. The whiskey. One large cube of ice. Stir again, slow, until the glass is cold and the drink has opened up. Express a citrus peel over the top and drop it in. That is it — and the discipline is in not adding anything else.

Make one tonight, the original way. Two centuries of drinkers have already confirmed it works.

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POUR — Bourbon or rye, a touch of sugar, bitters, one big cube.

MOOD — Classic. Unhurried. Nothing to prove.