classic · stirred
Old Fashioned recipe
The original cocktail. Whiskey, sugar, bitters.
A Old Fashioned is 10 ml (11.1 g) Simple Syrup, 1.5 ml (1.5 g) Angostura Bitters and 60 ml (56.4 g) Bourbon, stirred and served in a rocks (old fashioned) glass. It pours to about 71.5 ml before ice, at roughly 34.5% ABV. Weighing the ingredients instead of measuring them is what keeps the balance identical from one round to the next.
- Glassrocks (old fashioned) glass
- Methodstirred
- Pour volume71.5 ml
- Strength (est.)34.5% ABV
- Time3 min
Old Fashioned ingredients — in millilitres and grams
Grams are what the PourPilot coaster actually targets. They are not the same as the millilitres: a spirit is lighter than water, a syrup is heavier, so 30 ml of one is never 30 g. The right-hand column is the density we use, in grams per millilitre.
| Ingredient | Volume | Weight | g/ml | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Syrup (1:1) | 10 ml | 11.1 g | 1.11 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Angostura Bitters | 1.5 ml | — | 0.98 | 3 dashes |
| Bourbon | 60 ml | 56.4 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
How to make a Old Fashioned
- Set your rocks (old fashioned) glass on the scale (or on the PourPilot coaster) and zero it. Every measurement below is given in millilitres and in grams, so you can use either.
- Pour Simple Syrup, Angostura Bitters and Bourbon into a mixing glass, weighing each one as you go.
- Fill the mixing glass with hard, cold ice and stir for 20–30 seconds — until the outside frosts and the mix has dropped to roughly −2 °C.
- Strain into a chilled rocks (old fashioned) glass over one large cube.
Old Fashioned: the questions people actually ask
How strong is a Old Fashioned?
Roughly 34.5% ABV as poured, before the ice dilutes it — typically another 15–25% water by the time you finish stirring or shaking. Strong. This is a stirred, undiluted-style drink — one is a full measure.
What glass should a Old Fashioned be served in?
A rocks (old fashioned) glass. One large, clear cube melts slower than four small ones and keeps the drink from watering out.
Can I make a Old Fashioned without a jigger?
Yes — that is what the gram column is for. Put the glass or tin on a kitchen scale, zero it, and pour to the weight. It is more accurate than a jigger because nothing is left clinging to the inside of the measure. The PourPilot coaster does the same thing without you having to watch a display: it lights up as you approach the target and tells you when to stop.
Why are some ingredients not weighed?
Dashes of bitters and rinses are too small to weigh reliably — a dash is roughly 0.8 ml, well inside the noise of any bar scale. Count them instead. Everything else in this Old Fashioned is weighed.
If you like the Old Fashioned
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