Make Old-Fashioned Ones From a Bottle, Not Glass
I’m a big fan of mixing cocktails. When I have friends, I usually prepare a few large cocktails before they arrive. In the end, getting a jar of margaritas per ton is easier than cooking them individually, and anything that isn’t eaten can be thrown into the fridge for personal consumption after work a week later.
I got one of those cocktail sets for Christmas this year. You know, the ones that have all the ingredients to make a ridiculously complex drink from the comfort of your home. At home, I prefer a three-way cocktail , but the one I received made a particularly interesting suggestion: mix Old Fashioned in a bottle. Which?
Friends came to see me, I followed the instructions and was very impressed with the result. This is not a groundbreaking recipe, Old Fashioned is one of the simplest cocktails out there, but I’ve never heard of it physically mixed in a whiskey bottle. Genius.
I made mine with Monkey Shoulder, but you can use any whiskey you like. Personally, I’m a big fan of Maker’s Mark for Old Fashioned, but Bulleit Rye is also a good choice.
From a standard 750 ml bottle, you need to pour 4 ounces of whiskey. We used that 4 ounces to cook Hot Toddies for some friends who were in bad weather, but you can also reserve it to make some Old Fashioned on your own. The goal here is simply to make room in the bottle.
After you remove four ounces of whiskey, you replace that whiskey with three ounces of plain syrup (essentially sugar water – here’s how to do it ) and 1 ounce of bitter (I recommend Angostura, but again, use your own favorite syrup.) …
Once everything is in the bottle, shake it well and you’re done.
You now have a bottle full of a delicious cocktail for you and your entourage to sip throughout the night.
To serve, pour a few ounces into a glass filled with ice and garnish with orange zest (this orange is very important).
The result is a delightful product, easy to transport to a party, and has the potential to save tons of time in preparing drinks.