The Best Bourbon Old Fashioned

This is how bourbon drinkers make their Old Fashioned Cocktails. This is the best bourbon old-fashioned recipe with simple syrup, Peychaud’s bitters, a Luxardo cherry, and a twist of Orange. 

The Old Fashioned Cocktail is the bourbon drinker’s cocktail. It has simple ingredients to enhance the bourbon you are drinking. Using different bourbon and different proofs of bourbon will change the flavor of this cocktail. Find a bourbon you love drinking neat and turn that into your favorite Old Fashioned. 

Not all bourbons are created equal. They have different mash bills (recipes), proofs, and ages. 

Best Bourbons for an Old Fashioned 

• Buffalo Trace
• Blanton’s
• Weller Special Reserve
• 1792 Full Proof
• Weller Antique 107
• Eagle Rare

Ingredients for a Bourbon Old Fashioned

• 2.5 oz. Bourbon – Find a bourbon you love drinking neat and turn that into your favorite old fashioned. 
• 0.5 oz. Simple Syrup – Homemade simple syrup is the best. We make a rich simple syrup using sugar in the raw.
• 2-3 dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters
• 1 Luxardo Cherry
• 1 Orange Peel

How to make a Bourbon Old Fashioned

The first thing you want to do is make the simple syrup and allow it to cool. We use Sugar in the Raw to make our simple syrup. 

Simple syrup is a 1:1 ratio of sugar and water. Add the 1:1 ratio and simmer on medium-low heat; stirring until the sugar has dissolved. 

• In a mixing glass add bourbon, bitters, and simple syrup. Give it a good stir.

• Meanwhile, in an Old Fashioned glass add 1 large ice cube and a Luxardo cherry.

• Next, take an orange peel and twist it in the glass and rub the peel around the rim of the glass. 

• Now add about 3/4 full of ice to the mixing glass. Stir until the outside of the mixing glass is chilled. You should have condensation on the outside of the mixing glass. 

• Now strain into the Old Fashioned glass. 

• Stir the Old Fashioned cocktail to incorporate the cherry flavor and chill the glass.  

An Old Fashioned is ready to drink/serve when the glass is chilled. 

Bourbon Infinity Bottles

A Bourbon Infinity Bottle is where you pour your last ounce and half of your favorite bourbons into one bottle.

You end up with a unique blended bourbon at the end. Even though I talk about the Infinity Bottle in this Old Fashioned Recipe Post we drink our Infinity bottle neat.

Variations

• Swap out simple syrup for 1 sugar cube and muddle. 
• Muddle cherry for extra sweetness in your cocktail. 
• Try flavored simple syrups to create unique Old Fashioned recipes. 

More Bourbon Cocktails

I do love my bourbon during the Fall and Winter. The warming (or burning) sensation as the whiskey goes down is called a “Kentucky Hug” when drinking bourbon.

• 15 Tried & True Bourbon Cocktails – Find all of our Bourbon Cocktails including recipes that use bourbon as an ingredient.
• Bourbon Margarita – Our riff on the classic margarita.
• Bourbon Amaretto Sour – This is a must-try! The bourbon and amaretto blend so well together in this unique bourbon cocktail.

Best Bourbon Old Fashioned Recipe