The Best Old Fashioned Variations

Crowned the most popular cocktail in the world, the Old Fashioned is loved by many, and whilst it can’t be denied that the traditional recipe is an absolute cracker, there are many variations of it that, in our honest opinion, are just as good. So, without further ado let us introduce you to some of our favourite takes on an Old Fashioned.

The Traditional Old Fashioned

A timeless classic. The Old Fashioned cocktail has been around since the mid-1800s and is still just as popular today as it was back then.

Ingredients
60ml rye whiskey
1 sugar cube
3 dashes Angostura bitters
Orange peel to garnish
Maraschino cherry to garnish

Method
Place the sugar cube in a tumbler and dash the bitters on top of it. Muddle to mix. Add the whiskey, fill the glass with ice, and stir for 30 seconds to combine. Twist the orange peel over the drink before putting it into the glass. Add the cherry garnish and you're done!

Rum Old Fashioned

A great take on an Old Fashioned, the dark rum provides oaky notes which work beautifully with the zestiness from the bitters.

Ingredients
50ml dark rum
1 tsp sugar syrup
2 dashes Angostura orange bitters
Orange peel to garnish

Method
Put all the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir until the glass feels cold. Strain into a tumbler over a large ice cube and garnish with the orange peel.

Tequila Old Fashioned

Smooth and savoury, it is an utterly delicious Old Fashioned variation. The aged Añejo tequila provides oaky notes, spice and flavours of roasted agave. YUM!

Ingredients
60 ml Añejo tequila
7.5 ml Simple syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Orange peel to garnish

Method
Add the tequila, simple syrup and bitters to a tumbler with a big ice cube and stir well for around 30 seconds to combine. Garnish with the orange peel.

Gin Old Fashioned

Another great take on an Old Fashioned the Old Tom gin adds a less botanical, sweeter flavour to the cocktail than a London dry gin would while the orange bitters and lemon add a nice citrusy twist.

Ingredients
60ml Old Tom gin
7.5ml simple syrup
2 dashes of orange bitters
Lemon peel to garnish

Method
Add the simple syrup, bitters, and gin in a tumbler with ice and stir for 30 seconds to combine. Garnish with lemon peel and enjoy!

Maple Old Fashioned

Sweet and smooth, the maple brings out the warm, rich, caramel-y flavors in the bourbon perfectly.

Ingredients
60ml Bourbon whiskey
10ml Maple Syrup
2 dash Angostura bitters
Crispy bacon, for garnish

Method
Put the ingredients into a tumbler with ice and stir well to combine. Garnish with a 1/2 slice of crispy bacon. Top Tip: You can substitute the bourbon for rum here to make an equally good maple rum Old Fashioned.

Honey Old Fashioned

Good for someone just getting into whisky, this variation is lighter and sweeter than a traditional old fashioned but just as delicious!

Ingredients
60ml Scotch whisky
15ml honey syrup (1 part honey to 1 part water)
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
2 dashes of orange bitters

Method
Add the whisky, honey syrup, and bitters into a tumbler with ice and stir for about 30 seconds until well combined and chilled. Garnish with an orange peel twist.

Warm Old Fashioned

Perfect for chilly days this cocktail has the same great taste as the classic Old Fashioned and could even rival a Hot Toddy in our opinion!

Ingredients
60ml Bourbon whiskey
1 sugar cube
3 dashes Angostura bitters
1 x Orange slice
1 x Maraschino cherry
60ml hot (not boiling) water

Method
Muddle the sugar cube, bitters, orange slice and Maraschino cherry in a mixing glass. Add the whiskey and mix well then strain into a glass mug. Top up with around 60ml of hot water and enjoy!

Looking for other cocktail variations? Make sure you check out The 10 Best Martini Variations and The Best Margarita Variations!

The Most Popular Cocktails This Summer

Picture it: the sun is shining, your friends are round and improvised appetisers are on the table. A flash of silver - what’s that? “Would anyone like a cocktail?” a cool voice calls out from the kitchen. The crowd pricks up their ears, who’s that sexy mixologist? It’s you, you’re the sexy mixologist. Shaker in hand, you begin to feel like a God… until you realise you don’t know any cocktail recipes.

Aha! Fear no more! There’s still hope for you to become the God of cocktail parties. Once you’ve got down the crowd pleasers, you need never worry again about accidentally getting Grandma plastered on your botched version of a ‘martini’. We’re here, armed with the nation's favourite cocktails to help you out.

10. Sangria

In at Number 10 is a tasty Spanish contribution - the Sangria! Essentially a red wine punch (though it can be especially tasty with white wine), the key to a great Sangria is the personal touch. Taste test with your favourite fruits and put together a family recipe to be passed down through the generations.

Ingredients

2 oranges, chopped
2 pears, chopped
2 lemons, 1 chopped, 1 juiced
200g red berries, chopped
3 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Ice
750ml bottle light red wine
100ml Spanish brandy
300ml sparkling water

Method

Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over the chopped fruit in a large bowl. Stir to mix. Cover the bowl and leave in the fridge for at least an hour, but ideally overnight.
Fill up a large jug with ice. Stir the fruit mixture to ensure the sugar is dissolved and tip into the jug. Add the wine and brandy. Stir, then top up with the sparkling water and serve.

9. Long Island Iced Tea

Fun fact: Long Island Iced Tea is claimed to have been invented by TGIFriday’s, but as all origin stories go, this is widely refuted. Oh well, let’s let them have it. Popular in the 1980s and still hugely successful now - the Long Island Iced Tea packs a PUNCH. If you’ve got a lot of leftover spirits around, why not put them to use and mix one up yourself?!

Ingredients

15ml vodka
15ml white rum
15ml silver tequila
15ml gin
15ml triple sec
15ml simple syrup
15ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Cola
Garnish: lemon wedge

Method

Add the vodka, rum, tequila, gin, triple sec, simple syrup and lemon juice to a tall glass filled with ice. Top with the cola and briefly stir. Garnish with a lemon wedge and straw. Simple!

8. Old Fashioned

Making it into this list is proof that the Old Fashioned isn’t as musty as the name might make it sound. We Brits still love the combination of whisk(e)y, simple syrup and angostura bitters - as we should! Why not have a Mad Men (without the dodgy workplace environment) themed party and serve these up to your guests!

Ingredients

50 ml of Whisk(e)y or Bourbon
1 tbsp sugar syrup
2-3 dashes of angostura bitters
1 twist of orange peel to garnish

Method

Place the sugar syrup and bitters in a rocks glass. Add some of the whiskey and a few ice cubes and stir for 15-20 seconds to cool the alcohol and start the ice melting. Keep adding a little more whiskey, then a little more ice, and continue to stir. Sip as you go and stop when the dilution is to your taste.
Garnish with a twist of orange peel.

7. Negroni

Bella Italia! Mamma Mia! Use your best Italian while creating this beautifully complex cocktail - it was invented by one after all (to be precise it was Count Camillio Negroni in 1919 who asked for gin to be added to his Americano cocktail in Florence - the more you know!). 

Ingredients

25ml gin
25ml sweet vermouth
25ml Campari
orange slice, to garnish

Method

Pour all ingredients into a rocks glass with ice. Stir briefly. Garnish with a slice of orange.

6. Margarita

One of the most iconic (and delicious) cocktails to exist. Okay, maybe that was a bit biased - but the margarita is still a great cocktail to have under your belt! Close your eyes and transport yourself to Mexico/heaven. Also, if you’re using nice tequila for the love of the cocktail Gods DO NOT salt the rim - how are you going to taste that £50+ you just spent?

Ingredients

50m blanco tequila (or try a reposado if you’re feeling posh)
25ml lime juice
25ml Cointreau (or triple sec)
lime wedge for garnish

Method

Add tequila, lime juice and triple sec to a shaker with ice. Shake that baby until the sides feel icy. Strain into a rocks glass and garnish with a slice of lime. 

5. Pornstar Martini

Who knew passionfruit was so naughty? The real question here is what to do with that dastardly prosecco shot. Do you drink it first? Drink it last? Add it to the cocktail? Drink it while drinking the cocktail? Chuck it at the next table? Leave it because the anxiety over how to drink it has got too much? ...yeah.

Ingredients

1 ripe passion fruit, halved
30ml vanilla vodka
30ml passion fruit liqueur
10ml lime juice
10ml sugar syrup
Prosecco, to serve

Method

Scoop the seeds from half of the passion fruit into the tin of a cocktail shaker, add the vodka, passion fruit liqueur, lime juice and sugar syrup. Add a handful of ice and shake well, strain into a martini glass and add half a passion fruit to each. Serve with a shot of prosecco and a pint glass of prosecco shot anxiety.

4. Sex on the Beach

Another naughty name! Goodness me… make sure when you’re asking someone if they’d like this cocktail that you remember to say ‘A’ Sex on the Beach rather than just ‘Sex on the Beach’. That could go very wrong ;). 

Ingredients

45ml vodka
30ml peach schnapps
60ml orange juice
60ml cranberry juice
Orange wedge, for garnish

Method

Fill a tall glass with ice and add the vodka, peach schnapps and orange juice. Stir briefly. Pour over the cranberry juice for that all important ombre effect. Garnish with a juicy orange wedge.

3. Espresso Martini

This one’s dropped in the ranks this year, it used to be the UK’s favourite cocktail! It’s still getting the bronze medal, however, and this is definitely a cocktail to master - for how easy it is, it looks really impressive!

Ingredients

50ml vodka
25ml freshly brewed espresso coffee
25ml coffee liqueur
10ml sugar syrup
3 coffee beans for garnish

Method

Pop your martini glass in the fridge to cool (or in the freezer if you want that pretty iced effect on the glass). Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker along with a handful of ice and shake until the outside of the cocktail shaker feels icy cold. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with 3 perfectly placed coffee beans.

2. Piña Colada

Dreaming of beaches and pools, are we? Legend has it that if you take a sip of a Piña Colada, close your eyes and say coconut three times, you might hear the sea. Might is the key word there. If by some random occurrence you happen to have a spare hollowed out coconut, USE IT NOW! Oh and some of those cheesy tiny umbrellas.

Ingredients

120ml pineapple juice
60ml white rum
60ml cream of coconut
Wedge of pineapple to garnish

Method

Pulse all the ingredients along with a handful of ice in a blender until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and garnish with a wedge of pineapple.

1. Mojito

And the winner is….. A mojito! A mojito is a safe choice cocktail - you’re unlikely to mess it up (and if you do, just put on your sexy mixologist voice and drawl “that’s how it’s supposed to taste”). Not only that, but it’s delicious! 

Ingredients

Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp granulated sugar
Small handful mint leaves, plus extra sprig to serve
60ml white rum
Soda water

Method

Muddle the lime juice, sugar and mint leaves in a small jug, crushing the mint as you go. Pour into a tall glass and add a handful of ice. Pour over the rum, stirring with a long-handled spoon. Top up with soda water, garnish with mint and serve.

Like what you see? Why not check out our other cocktail recipes to up your game!

One Drink, Three Ways: Nouaison Gin Reserve

One Drink, Three Ways is the signature feature by The Three Drinkers. Join The Three Drinkers’ Helena, Aidy and Colin as they take one bottle and create a trio of phenomenal serves which you can enjoy anytime, anywhere. From rums and whiskies to gins and wine styles, the three help you get the most out of your glass. It’s time to get liquid on lips.

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Nouaison Gin Reserve recently won the coveted ‘out of the ordinary’ spirits prize at this year’s People’s Choice Drinks Awards; a category that was sponsored by us, The Three Drinkers! It’s an intriguing spirit, made by distilling French grapes (like Cognac), which is then redistilled with botanicals, herbs, fruit and spices using traditional Gin methods, before being aged in Cognac-seasoned oak barrels. It’s Gin meets Cognac in a quirky and complex way, but it absolutely works. Sip it alone or try it in one of these three delicious serves.

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Helena’s Choice: Stinger

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I love the Nouaison Gin Reserve in this cocktail for something totally out of the ordinary. The mint really lifts the botanicals and the cream enhances the spice. The result is something unlike anything you’ve tasted before and totally moreish.

Stinger

Recipe

60 ml Nouaison Gin Reserve

5 ml Mint cream

Garnish: Mint Sprig and  / or a piece of white chocolate.

Glassware: Rocks glass

Method

Build the drink in the rocks glass by combining the ingredients over ice cubes, then stir with a bar spoon, garnish and serve.

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Aidy’s Choice: Smash & Fresh

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You know I love my Gin sours and this serve offers something very different from the norm that your guests will adore. With a refreshing kick from the Absinthe cordial and lemon juice combo, it’s the perfect kick starter to any meal or festive occasion. I know I know, absinthe does come with a stigma that it’s way too powerful and overbearing, but trust me, everything here balances together so well - you will be super surprised and thoroughly refreshed!

Smash & Fresh

Recipe

45 ml Nouaison Gin Reserve

20 ml Cordial Absinthe

20 ml Lemon Juice

20 ml Egg White

Garnish: Mint Sprig

Glassware: Coup or coupette

Method 

Pour all the wet ingredients into a shaker, dry shake (without ice) to get the egg white to foam, then shake with ice for ten seconds. Double strain over a coupette glass and garnish a mint sprig.

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Colin’s Choice: Nouaison Old Fashioned

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The Gin botanicals and the citrus spice here add an intriguing twist to a traditional Old Fashioned recipe, pepping the whole thing up. Try serving it to your guests or to your partner without telling them what it is and watch as they become a Gin Reserve convert!

Nouaison Old Fashioned

Recipe

45ml Nouaison Gin Reserve

5ml Sugar Syrup 

2 Dashes Orange Bitters 

1 Orange Zest 

Garnish: Orange Peel Twist

Glassware: Old Fashioned Glass or Tumbler

Method 

Gently blend ingredients into a mixing glass and strain into an Old Fashioned glass over a large ice cube or sphere. Garnish with an orange peel twist.

UK
ABV: 42%
Size: 500ml
Buy it now for £37.00

Don’t forget to check out our whisky, rum and vermouth One Drink Three Ways suggestions too!

The Dalmore Old Fashioned

Not far from Inverness overlooking the famous ‘Black Isle’, sits The Dalmore distillery. At The Dalmore, the whisky house style is dark, rich and chocolatey with notes of dried fruit, spice, vanilla and tropical fruit thanks to the team’s long term relationship with sherry house González Byass who offer The Dalmore exclusive access to rare casks. These special casks have  previously held exceptional, old sherries such as Matusalem Oloroso sherry and it is these casks that add to the quintessential Dalmore style.

The Old Fashioned needs no introduction as a cocktail and the beauty of this classic drink really  is its simplicity! Think of fruit cake with shaving of dark chocolate and orange peel on top. One for those cosy nights by the fire, for sure.

Ingredients
50ml The Dalmore 12 Year Old Whisky
25ml Sugar syrup
Dash Orange bitters
Glass: Rocks glass
Garnish: Fresh orange twist

Method
Find a rocks glass or a tumbler, add ice and then pour all the ingredients in. Stir well until chilled and slightly diluted. Garnish with an orange wheel.  

Want more whisky cocktail recipes? See the Fettercairn 1824 Martini, the Fettercairn Tropical Highball, the Craighouse Rocks, the Jura Sunset and the Dalmore Mackenzie Highball.