How to make an Old Fashioned

Here is a demonstration — apparently not a parody — of how to make an Old Fashioned. Was someone confusing the Old Fashioned with the Mint Julep? Muddled mint, yes. Muddled cherry and orange, no. A tumblerful of bourbon, no.

Here is a more reliable guide to the Old Fashioned:

Shake 2 or 3 dashes of Angostura, then a splash of seltzer, on a lump of sugar. Muddle, add 2 cubes of ice, a twist of lemon peel, and a cherry, if desired. Pour in 1 1/2 oz. of your favorite liquor, stir well and serve. (Simple syrup in place of the lump sugar eliminates muddling and makes a much smoother drink and if simple syrup is used, you don’t need the seltzer.)

The Old Fashioned family circle is a large one. Try Rye, Bourbon, Scotch, Rum, Apple or Irish — each one represents a cordial invitation to the appetite.

Professional Mixing Guide: The Accredited List Of Recognized And Accepted Standard Formulas For Mixed Drinks. (Elmhurst, NY: Angostura-Wuppermann, 1961).

I’ve had this little (4 11/16 × 2 3/4) mixing guide forever. I think of it as a passport to a lost world, one in which people ordered a Gin Daisy or a Jack-in-the-Box and bartenders knew what to do. I certainly wouldn’t. But I do know how to make an Old Fashioned.