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In my bartending days (20+ years ago) I think I only made 2 or 3 Old Fashioneds. It just wasn’t a popular drink in the 90s. I made countless B-52s and Kamikazes, but I digress. I always thought the Old Fashioned was something for old folks and best left to them.

Fast forward 20 years…

A couple of years ago at the annual Fumare cigar lounge Christmas pop-up I saw my friends drinking a cocktail that curiously looked familiar. It wasn’t until a year later, when I saw them drinking it again, that I decided to order one for myself.

And I was pleasantly blown away.

A premium Old Fashioned is a particularly lovely cocktail. Since Christmas last year I’ve been experimenting with different whiskeys and bitters, even different garnishes and sugars. I’ve made hundreds of Old Fashioneds in the last six months. I’ve finally settled on my favorite recipe and it’s rather traditional.

So here it is:

• One sugar cube
• 5 shakes of Angostura bitters
• 2 oz of Rittenhouse rye whiskey

Combine in a highball glass, muddle items until sugar cube dissolves. Add a ball of ice (I like to use these molds). Garnish with a cherry (I like Luxardo) and a twist of orange peel (I like to use blood orange). Stir. Enjoy immediately. Make a few more. Pass out.

I like rye. Oh my, do I like rye. I find it much more interesting, way more complex, than bourbon. I like the tangy spiciness of rye. Rittenhouse is a damn fine rye for mixing drinks (and it’s 100 proof, woowoo!!). Of the countless bourbons and whiskeys I’ve tried in my Old Fashioneds over the last 6 months, Rittenhouse is the tastiest.

I have quite a collection of bitters now. Among the more recognizable: Regan’s, Fee Brothers, Peychaud’s, Angostura. The Regan’s is bitter indeed, but not much else. The Fee Brothers is too strong of cinnamon and sugar. The Peychauds is overpowering of anise. Only Angostura is able to both complement and tame the spicy Rittenhouse.

If you are still using those cheap pink fake Maraschino cherries from the dessert isle then shame be upon you. Go get some Luxardo cherries, plebe. That’s all I have to say on this subject.

And if you really want to be pinky-in-the-air then use some brown sugar cubes. I don’t really notice much difference between these and the pure cane sugar cubes, but you may be able to impress your guests with the brown.

Seriously, go get some Rittenhouse rye. It’s not great neat or on the rocks, but it is fantastic as a mixer. And use it to make some Manhattans while yer at it!