Go Back
Print

James's Old Fashioned

Source: Liquor.com, the New York Times

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon simple syrup
  • 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
  • 2 ounces bourbon
  • Orange peel
  • 1 Luxardo maraschino cherry (optional)

Instructions

  1. Combine simple syrup and bitters in a chilled rocks glass.

    Add bourbon and one large ice cube, or three or four smaller cubes. Gently stir until chilled and the flavors are combined, about 30 seconds. 

    Use a vegetable peeler to cut one strip of orange peel. Twist orange peel over the glass to express the oils in the zest, rub peel over the rim of the glass, and drop peel into glass.

    Add maraschino cherry if desired, and serve!

Recipe Notes

We actually use a "rich" simple syrup containing 2 parts sugar and 1 part water - see recipe above. So, we use a little shy of a teaspoon of this rich syrup and dilute with a splash more water. The sugar is there to flavor the bourbon and mellow the spirit a bit, so feel free to play around with the proportions to see how you like it.

Traditionally, Old Fashioneds are made with solid crystalized sugar or a sugar cube, not syrup. We don't do this because we've started to make and store simple syrup in the fridge. However, if you want to go this route, use 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon water. Add the sugar, water, and bitters into the glass, and stir until dissolved. Once dissolved, proceed with adding the bourbon and ice.