Dram Good Drinks Vol I - The Old Fashioned

This is our first installment of a new series on the blog to provide a bit of variety.

Over the next few months we'll have a new whisky/whiskey based cocktail recipe here including photos and instructions so that you can try it yourself as well as being another great way of showcasing some great whiskies!.

So, without further ado, here is our first recipe. A rather famous cocktail that I'm sure many of you will have heard of - the Old Fashioned.

The Old Fashioned is a whisky based cocktail and was popularised in the 1960's. However, while there is no definitive date as to when this was created, the general consensus is that one of its first appearances was at a gentleman's bar in Louiseville Kentucky - The Pendennis Club. As a cocktail it's relatively simple to make.

So let's make one shall we?

First off, you'll need

• An 'Old Fashioned' glass or whisky tumbler
• A muddler/ pestle
• 60 ml (2 1/2 US fl oz) of bourbon, or blended scotch whisky
• A sugar cube or teaspoon of sugar. you can also use sugar syrup for convenience.
• Angostura bitters
• 1 Orange slice
• Maraschino cherries

First of all, add the sugar with a splash of water or a teaspoon/barspoon of sugar syrup to an Old Fashioned glass or whisky tumbler. Then add 2-3 dashes of the Angostura bitters.

Add large ice cubes and the 60ml of bourbon/scotch and stir gently.... then stir some more.. and more

Garnish with a slice of orange and a cherry.. Done!

This cocktail is simple and delicious and here we have followed a traditional recipe.

Here we have used the fantastic and affordable Four Roses Yellow Label Bourbon (available here). However if you don't have bourbon in at the minute, a lighter blended whisky or even a spicy highland malt can also work. Experiment!