Wax on. Wax Off.
One true O.F.
Of all stirred classics, the Old Fashioned is both the simplest and most difficult to prepare. Its booze, bitters, and sugar. Stirred and serve with something smelly on top. Seems easy, but few ingredients means there’s nothing to hide behind. A good Old Fashioned requires a high level of understanding and technique. It is not for the sensitive or faint of heart. The littlest flaws stand out with blinding obviousness. An Old Fashioned prepared with skill and understanding, though not easy to accomplish, can be transformative.
Dancing, Disco Queen Delton Jel.
For many years, The Old Fashioned defined this Jelly’s life. It was the single cocktail that kept a roof over my head for many years and is the single cocktail that has shaped the foundation of my craft career. In the belly of the beast, I made Old Fashioned after Old Fashioned after Old Fashioned. Wax on. Wax Off.
After the first 20,000 I had a general understanding of the drink. I thought I had it figured. I’d made sooo many, but I didn’t appreciate the process. I longed (as many green-bartenders do) to do more, add more layers, “elevate” the old fashioned. Just like the Karate Kid, I didn’t have a clue. No matter how many ideas I had, how many dreams I brought to the bar, the Old Fashioned always crushed 50% or more of the p-mix.
Then around Old Fashioned 40,000 something clicked. It was like suddenly becoming fluent in a previously unknown language. After years of monumental focus and repetition on one cocktail, I understood the language of the Old Fashioned. I became a master. Wax on. Wax Off.
An Old Fashioned can tell me the anything I need to know about the skill set and understanding of any bartender as well as the bar program. Sadly, I have never had a good Old Fashioned from a bartender EVER, aside from those made for me by my brothers and sisters in arms who used to wax on, wax off by my side at the beast. Understandably, very few bartenders in the world are put into a situation that requires them to devote monk-like repetition to a single classic. Even fewer still have the unique task of making one at a time by the thousands for years. Lucky for you, curious reader, Jelly did all the work for you, so all you have to do is read this blog.
Arguably one of the first cocktails to crawl out of the primordial booze was the Old Fashioned. In its default setting, American whiskey should be used, usually bourbon or rye, angostura bitters, raw sugar, and either expressed lemon oil or orange (whichever compliments the spirits best) is the classic aromatic. The term “Old Fashioned” can also indicate a form of preparation meaning Strong+Sweet+Bitter with an appropriate aromatic garnish. So really any base that is prepared with sugar, bitters, and served with a complementary aromatic is technically and Old Fashioned.
“Finder’s Keeper’s” —Gin, Orange Bitters, Foraged Dandelion Cordial, Lemon Oil —
The main thing ingredient that makes the difference between a mediocre Old Fashioned and a magical one is dilution. Dilution is a skill that seems so easy. It’s water! I find that it is the #1 weak spot among bartenders because rarely do bartenders to seek to fully understand the mechanics of something so seemingly simple. They assume mastery before even making acquaintances.
As discussed in Ep. 1, every cocktail has a unique optimum dilution. The amount of water need to achieve perfect dilution is unique to every spirit and cocktail. There is no hard fast measurement of water that can be added to drinks, so it takes skill and technique from the bartender to manually dial it in every time. This may seem daunting, but stirred drinks consistently go through the same progression of flavors as they dilute. Thus, one can taste one’s way to perfect dilution every time, no matter what the spirit. A drink will always taste : Hot > Bitter > Too sweet > Balanced > Over Diluted.
(Gahh! > Wince > Flabby > YEYAAA > Game-Over x_x)
Dilution, particularly with classic Old Fashioneds, offers up visual cues that indicate proper dilution as well. When an Old fashioned is first built, it is clear, shiny, and bright. Stirring, Stirring, Stirring, and right at the moment when the suspended oils in the whiskey have bloomed, the cocktail’s appearance will suddenly change from bright and clear to cloudy and slightly murky. If you are practicing, tasting your way through the Arc of Dilution (ep. 1) and mixing in a place with good lighting are the best ways to learn the flavor and visual cues of proper dilution.
Classic Old Fashioned:
2oz Bourbon or Rye
4 Dashes Angostura Bitters
.25oz Raw Sugar Syrup (1:1)
Stir. Taste your way through the Arc of Dilution! Serve on rocks, with an orange peel expressed over the top.
Mechanical Parts:
2oz Strong
4 Dashes Bitter
.25oz sweet
Garnish with a complementary aromatic
You don’t need to be drinking to enjoy an Old Fashioned. “Rascally",” is a Jellyfish Non-Alcoholic Old Fashioned. —Carrot, Honey, Ginger, Fee’s Aromatic Bitters, Clove Aromatic, with zero waste carrot ice made from juice pulp—
Now you’ve got the tools to begin your own Karate-Kid style training. It is my dearest hope that perfectly balanced Old Fashioned with become standard service in craft instead of the elusive Narwhals they currently are. Until then, Wax on. Wax Off. <3 J