Rye Old-Fashioned

Name: Rye Old-Fashioned
Yield: 1 drink
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon Demerara sugar; 2 ounces rye whiskey; 1 or 2 dashes Angostura bitters; 1 or 2 dashes orange bitters; 1 strip lemon peel

Recipe from Rye

Adapted by Robert Simonson

Rye Old-Fashioned — Theo Morrison for The New York Times

Rating: 5(201)
Comments: Read comments

One of the most venerable of whiskey-based cocktails, the old-fashioned has a history that stretches back farther than the martini’s. For decades it has suffered under the reputation of something your grandmother drank — overly sweet, fruit-laden and spritzed-up. But grandma wouldn’t recognize what’s happened to it lately. —Robert Simonson

Featured in: Take a Sip of History

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Ingredients

Yield:1 drink

1teaspoon Demerara sugar
2ounces rye whiskey
1 or 2dashes Angostura bitters
1 or 2dashes orange bitters
1strip lemon peel

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Spoon sugar into a shaker and add about a teaspoon of very hot water for a simple syrup. Stir until dissolved, adding a little more water if needed.
Step 2
Add whiskey and bitters, and stir again. Add several ice cubes and stir well to chill. Strain into an old-fashioned glass, add 2 or 3 big ice cubes, twist lemon peel over the top and drop it in.

Ratings

5 out of 5

201 user ratings

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Comments

Louis Lebherz7 years ago

My grandfather's favorite cocktail and a family tradition. Instead of the sugar syrup, we use a teaspoon of frozen concentrated orange juice. The two bitters and the rye are stirred in, add ice cubes, and garnish with a slice of on orange.

Chris7 years ago

Try this with Old Overholt rye and Fee Brothers Old Fashioned bitters in place of the Angostura. Their flavors work really well together.

jksimon6 years ago

Great, classic drink. Try using orange peel instead of lemon -- it multiplies the flavor of the bitters.

Lauren7 months ago

I had coconut sugar so used that and it was tasty. I generally prefer rye in Manhattans and other whiskey cocktails but I do think I still prefer bourbon in an Old Fashioned.

New Englander2 years ago

Maple syrup plus Bourbon makes a great old-fashioned.

The Heartland2 years ago

I use one part Bittermilk No. 1 mixer (which already has sugar and bittering agents such as cinchona bark and gentian root) to four parts Rye--half Old Overholt and half Rittenhouse--and a couple hits of orange bitters. (You can also use Angostura bitters.) Mix everything together, put in a large ice cube (the small ones dilute the drink too quickly), stir again and garnish with an orange peel. No cherry; it makes the drink too sweet. This is perfect drink for "unwind time."

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