Jump to my Banana Old Fashioned Recipe

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Banana Simple Syrup

I don’t love using hard-to-find liqueurs so I impart a lot of my flavor with infused simple syrup. It’s so easy to make and you know exactly what’s in it. The banana syrup used in this recipe has a lot of banana flavor and would be great to use later in oatmeal, smoothies, or sparkling water. The recipe makes 8 oz and you’ll only use 1 oz for each cocktail so if you have some remaining, store it in a glass airtight container in the fridge.

What is an Old Fashioned?

An Old Fashioned cocktail is made with spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. Traditionally the spirit is whiskey, but I prefer to make mine with brandy since it has less bite but still imparts flavor.

What Tools Do You Need to Make a Banana Old Fashioned?

• Glasses | A classic cocktail deserves a class glass. These are cut crystal and gorgeous!
• Jigger | Part of any well-equipped bar.
• Glass Bottle | This recipe will be 8 oz of simple syrup. If you don’t use it all for cocktails now store the remaining in a glass bottle in the fridge. It should last one to two weeks.

Banana Old Fashioned Recipe

Servings: 1

Ingredients

BANANA SIMPLE SYRUP

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 banana

BANANA OLD FASHIONED

• ½ slice of orange
• 2 dashes bitters
• 2 maraschino cherries
• dash ground cinnamon
• 2 oz brandy
• 4 oz seltzer water
• 2 slices banana (for garnish)

Directions

1. Bring brown sugar and 1 cup of water to a boil on the stovetop.
2. Once the sugar has dissolved, reduce to a simmer and add sliced bananas, mashing to infuse flavor. Allow syrup to simmer for 10 minutes to thicken.
3. Turn off the burner and let the syrup come to room temperature (should take about 20 minutes)
4. Add the orange slice, bitters, 1 maraschino cherry, cinnamon, and 1 oz banana simple syrup to a double old-fashioned glass and muddle.
5. Add ice, brandy, seltzer water and stir.
6. Garnish with 2 banana slices and 1 maraschino cherry

More Old Fashioned Cocktails:

Cold Fashioned

Blackberry Old Fashioned

Apple Cider Old Fashioned

DISCLOSURE: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. I only feature products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own. And because I am very obsessed with FTC compliance, check out my full disclaimer here.

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Jump to my Cold Fashioned Recipe

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Why is the Cocktail Called an Old Fashioned?

The origin of the Old Fashioned cocktail is somewhat disputed. According to Wikipedia, the tale goes something like this. The word cocktail was originally defined in the early 1800s as a drink made of spirits, bitters, water, and sugar. As the art of bartending became more complex, patrons would ask for the original cocktail, before more ingredients started being added. They asked for… an ‘old fashioned’ cocktail.

What Tools Do You Need to Make a Cold Fashioned?

• Double Old Fashioned Glasses | The drink is in the name! These cut crystal glasses are perfect for this cocktail. They’re pricey but gorgeous and make great gifts!
• Jigger | Part of any well-equipped bar.
• Muddler | Getting those orange flavors into the drink enhances the cocktail.
• Large Ice Cube Mold | The larger the ice cube, the slower it will melt and helps to not water down the cocktail

Cold Fashioned Recipe

Servings: 1

Ingredients

• 1 orange slice
• 4 cubes of sugar
• 3 dashes bitters
• 1 oz brandy (I prefer Korbel)
• 8 oz cold brew (not concentrate)
• 2 maraschino cherries

Directions

1. Place sugar cubes, ½ an orange slice, and bitters in an old-fashioned glass
2. Muddle dissolving the sugar and releasing the orange oil
3. Add ice cube, brandy, and cold brew
4. Garnish with ½ an orange slice and 2 cherries

More Old Fashioned Cocktail Recipes:

Blackberry Old Fashioned

Apple Cider Old Fashioned

Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet

DISCLOSURE: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. I only feature products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own. And because I am very obsessed with FTC compliance, check out my full disclaimer here.

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Jump to my Apple Cider Old Fashioned Recipe

If you buy something through my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your support! See disclosure for details.

Brandy vs. Whiskey

A traditional old fashioned is made with whiskey but brandy gives a more mild, slightly sweet flavor to the classic cocktail. People will ask why a Wisconsin Old Fashioned is different, and using brandy instead of whiskey is the key difference. Brandy isn’t sweet by any means, which is why we add sugar, but it won’t burn your chest the way whiskey does.

I find that brandy goes really well with apple cider. Since brandy is made from grapes it’s complements the apple in the cider, as opposed to whiskey that can overwhelm the apple cider flavor. Since traditional apple cider is just made from raw apple juice, and there is no sweetener added, it’s important to pair with a mild alcohol.

The secret to a good old fashioned is a) the alcohol used (I always choose brandy) 2) including ALL the ingredients 3) the correct proportions. I’ve made countless old fashioneds and I like 2 to 1 parts mixer to alcohol.

What Tools Do You Need to Make an Apple Cider Old Fashioned?

• Double Old Fashioned Glasses | The drink is in the name! These cut crystal glasses are made for this cocktail. They’re pricey but gorgeous and make great gifts!
• Jigger | Part of any well-equipped bar.
• Muddler | Getting those orange flavors into the drink enhances the cocktail.
• Large Ice Cube Mold | The larger the ice cube, the slower it will melt and water down the drink

Apple Cider Old Fashioned Recipe

Servings: 1

Ingredients

• ½ of an orange slice
• ½ tsp brown sugar
• 3 dashes bitters
• 2 oz brandy (I prefer Korbel)
• 4 oz apple cider
• Cinnamon stick for garnish
• Apple slice for garnish

Directions

1. Place brown sugar and orange in an old fashioned glass
2. Add bitters and muddle breaking up the orange
3. Add ice cube, brandy, and apple cider
4. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and a slice of apple

More Apple Cider Cocktail Recipes:

• Apple Cider Donut Martini
• Warm Spiked Apple Cider
• Cranberry Apple Cider Martini

DISCLOSURE: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. I only feature products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own. And because I am very obsessed with FTC compliance, check out my full disclaimer here.

Pin this post and save it for later! Don’t forget to connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest!

The post Apple Cider Old Fashioned Recipe appeared first on Very Obsessed.

Jump to my Blackberry Old Fashioned Recipe

If you buy something through my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your support! See disclosure for details.

Blackberry Simple Syrup

Fruit-infused simple syrups are easy to make, add a ton of flavor, and can be stored in the fridge to use at a later day. Aside from this cocktail try adding the blackberry simple syrup to sparkling water, a smoothie, oatmeal, coffee, or ice cream.

Brandy vs. Whiskey

A traditional old fashioned cocktail is made with whiskey but the Wisconsin version is made with brandy instead. Brandy gives a more mild, slightly sweet flavor to the classic cocktail. It’s not sweet by any means, which is why we add the simple syrup and soda, but what I mean is it won’t burn your chest the way whiskey does.

What Tools Do You Need to Make a Blackberry Old Fashioned?

• Fine Mesh Strainer | You’ll need a mesh strainer to make the blackberry simple syrup to remove the seeds.
• Glass Bottle | This recipe makes almost two cups of simple syrup so if you don’t use it all you’ll want to store it in the fridge
• Double Old Fashioned Glasses | The drink is in the name! These cut crystal glasses are made for this cocktail. They’re pricey but gorgeous and make great gifts!
• Jigger | Part of any well-equipped bar.
• Muddler | Breaking up the flavors of the fruit enhances the cocktail.
• Large Ice Cube Mold | The larger the ice cube, the slower it will melt and water down the drink

Blackberry Old Fashioned Recipe

Servings: 1

Ingredients

FOR THE BLACKBERRY SIMPLE SYRUP:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup blackberries

FOR THE BLACKBERRY OLD FASHIONED:

• ½ oz homemade blackberry simple syrup
• 2 blackberries
• ½ of an orange slice
• 3 dashes bitters
• 2 oz brandy (I prefer Korbel)
• 4 oz Sprite
• Blackberries for garnish

Directions

1. Add 8 oz of water, blackberries, and granulated sugar to a saucepan and bring to a boil
2. Once the sugar has dissolved turn off the heat and let the syrup cool to room temperature; this will take about 25 minutes
3. Place a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl (I like to use this measuring cup since it has a spout) and pour the syrup through
4. Add simple syrup, 2 blackberries, orange slice and bitters to the bottom of an old fashioned glass
5. Muddle blackberries and orange slice
6. Add ice cube, brandy and top with sprite
7. Garnish with additional blackberries

Tip: Don’t forget to put any remaining simple syrup in a glass bottle and store it in the fridge. It should last 1-2 weeks.

More Brandy Recipes:

• Wisconsin Old Fashioned
• Warm Spiked Apple Cider
• Brandy Manhattan

DISCLOSURE: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. I only feature products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own. And because I am very obsessed with FTC compliance, check out my full disclaimer here.

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The post Blackberry Old Fashioned Recipe appeared first on Very Obsessed.

Jump to my Virgin Old Fashioned Recipe   

If you buy something through my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your support! See disclosure for details.

What is an Old Fashioned Cocktail?

The old fashioned is a cocktail made by muddling sugar with bitters and water, adding whiskey, and garnishing with orange slice or zest and a cocktail cherry.

Wikipedia

There are a few differences between a classic Old Fashioned and the Wisconsin version. In Wisconsin whiskey is replaced with brandy and topped with lemon-lime soda instead of water. Since brandy is made from wine or fermented fruit, this makes for a sweeter, less strong, cocktail.

Why is it called an Old Fashioned Cocktail?

Like most things, there are varying accounts of when and who created what we know today as an Old Fashioned. What doesn’t seem to be disputed is the first definition of the word cocktail, which was in the early 1800s and was defined as a drink made of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters.

As drink-making became more sophisticated and new cocktails emerged, the ‘Old Fashioned’ sticks to its roots of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. So a Brandy Old Fashioned is as much of a traditional Old Fashioned as the popular Whiskey Old Fashioned and Bourbon Old Fashioned.

Virgin Old Fashioned ingredients

For Dry January, not only is the intention to make a Non-Alcoholic Old Fashioned, but it was to make it a little cleaner than the traditional recipe too. Some substitutions we’ll be making are using organic apple juice instead of brandy (both are made with fruit after all), skipping the added sugar, and using a high-quality ginger beer instead of the lemon-lime soda.

What exactly are Bitters?

You’ll notice that we aren’t using Bitters in the recipe, even though they are a key component to an Old Fashioned. Although considered non-alcoholic, alcohol is the #1 ingredient in bitters before the herbs and spices. You can’t really create an Old Fashioned Mocktail Recipe if one of your ingredients is alcohol, can you?

However, if the 2 dashes of bitters that you would use won’t bother you, then this is the gold standard brand to use in the mocktail.

Muddling not only the inside of the orange but also the peel gets some of the bitter oil into the drink, achieving a “bitters” flavor.

Non-Alcoholic Spirits

In this Old Fashioned Mocktail recipe, I’ve chosen to use apple juice as the alcohol substitute. The other option is to use a non-alcoholic spirit. With the emergence of the sober curious movement, many zero-proof companies have popped up. I haven’t personally tried these, but if you are interested, some of the more well-known companies are Lyre’s, Ritual Zero Proof, and ArKay.

What bar tools do you need to make an Old Fashioned Mocktail?

• Muddler | You’ll really want to muddle the orange peel to work those oils. This is a great option since the tip won’t damage your glass.
• Jigger | Part of every well-equipped bar, and makes measuring a breeze.
• Cocktail Picks | Not only used for the cherry garnish, you can use this to stir the drink as well.

Virgin Old Fashioned Recipe

Servings: 1

Ingredients

• 2 Amarena cherries
• 1 slice orange
• 3 oz organic apple juice
• 4 oz ginger beer
• Ice

Directions

1. Place 1 cherry and ½ orange slice in the bottom of an old fashioned glass
2. Muddle making sure to work oil from the peel
3. Add ice and apple juice
4. Top with ginger beer
5. Garnish with a cherry and ½ orange slice

 Tips

• I recommend getting large ice cube molds – the larger the ice the slower it melts and waters down the drink
• If you are looking for an alcoholic version of the classic cocktail, check out the Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet Recipe

DISCLOSURE: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you.  I only feature products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own.  Since I am very obsessed with FTC compliance, you can check out my full disclaimer here.

Looking for other Mocktail recipes? Check these out!

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The post Virgin Old Fashioned Recipe appeared first on Very Obsessed.

While my wheat and dairy sensitivities have made the first two more infrequent than I’d like, luckily the Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet has become a go-to cocktail.  My love of steak has only deepened and whenever I find something that claims to be a supper club, I try it.  I learned that nowhere else in the world does supper clubs and old fashioneds the way Wisconsin does.  Tip: If you ever find yourself in Milwaukee, the best supper club hands down is Five O’Clock Steakhouse.

When I left Milwaukee to move to Manhattan (the city not the cocktail), I was shocked, SHOCKED that I could not find a good brandy old fashioned and that’s when I started making them myself.  I knew what went into a good cocktail, I had ordered them countless times.  That’s when I also decided to invest in a proper bar, another milestone in adulting.

Jump directly to my Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet recipe.

If you buy something through my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your support! See disclosure for details.

What Is an Old Fashioned?

After Mad Men debuted the old fashioned cocktail had a major resurgence, especially amongst the hipsters.

While official origins are somewhat disputed, the old fashioned has been around since at least the 1850s and was created to go back to the basics of cocktail making. According to Wikipedia, traditional cocktail ingredients were spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. That’s exactly what is in the brandy old fashioned sweet, and then some.

Brandy Old Fashioned vs. Whiskey

The typical old-fashioned is made with whiskey, but what I discovered in Wisconsin is that an old fashioned made with brandy has a different, more mild flavor. 

Whiskey is made from grain and brandy is made from fruit…so there you go.  Beer vs. Wine (I’m kidding, but not really).  Brandy is naturally gluten-free so if you order this out you don’t have to worry if you have a sensitivity, if you order a whiskey old-fashioned you can get gluten-free, but you’ll need to be brand specific.

Many people wonder if brandy is a sweet drink. It’s not sweet per se, although you can get brandy in different fruit variations, but it is usually sweeter than whiskey.

Why is the Wisconsin Old Fashioned Made With Brandy?

Fun fact, Wisconsin is the #1 consumer of brandy in the U.S. according to Korbel. You may know that Wisconsin is most definitely not the #1 most populous state in the U.S and I like to think its high ranking in brandy consumption is due to the unofficial cocktail.

According to the Green Bay Gazette (that’s pretty Wisconsin, right?) brandy became very popular during the war when grain was being shipped to feed Europe and it basically has stuck around ever since.

Best Brandy for an Old Fashioned Sweet

Korbel is the largest producer of Brandy in the U.S. and it is served in bars and restaurants all across Wisconsin. When using alcohol in a mixed drink, instead of drinking neat, there is no need to go for the most expensive top-shelf choice. Korbel is a perfect brandy for the Old Fashioned. If you are in Sonoma, California you can even visit the distillery.

What Bar Tools Do You Need to Make a Brandy Old Fashioned?

• Muddler | Dissolving the sugar cube and breaking up the cherry and orange flavors are key to this cocktail.
• Jigger | An easy way to measure, and part of any well-stocked bar.
• Double Old Fashioned Glasses | The drink is in the name! These cut crystal glasses are made for this cocktail. They’re pricey but gorgeous and make great gifts!

Enjoy!

Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet Recipe

Servings: 1
Ingredients

• 2 cubes of sugar
• 3 maraschino cherries
• 1 slice orange
• 3 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters
• 2 oz Korbel
• 4 oz Sprite
• Ice

Directions – How to Make a Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet

1. Place sugar cubes, 2 cherries, ½ orange slice in the bottom of an old fashioned glass
2. Add bitters and muddle breaking up the sugar cubes
3. Add ice and Korbel
4. Top with Sprite and mix
5. Serve with a cherry and ½ orange slice garnish

 Tips

• I recommend getting large ice cube molds – the larger the ice the less it melts and waters down the drink.
• If you want to make a Brandy Old Fashioned Sour use grapefruit soda, like 50/50 or Squirt instead of Sprite.
• If you are looking for an alcohol free version, check out this Virgin Old Fashioned recipe.

More cocktails to try:

Apple Cider Donut Martini

Brandy Manhattan

Dirty Chai Martini

DISCLOSURE: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you.  I only feature products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own.  And because I am very obsessed with FTC compliance, check out my full disclaimer here.

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The post Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet Recipe appeared first on Very Obsessed.