Cocktail History: The Old Fashioned

The Pendennis Club, Self-Proclaimed home of the Old Fashioned Cocktail

The Old Fashioned's origins are amongst the most highly contested in the vibrant world of beverage culture. The Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky is amongst a number of establishments claiming to have been the originator of the drink, which defines the term "cocktail" in its most basic sense: sugar, water, spirit and bitters.

The official build is equally contested, providing no poverty of stimulus for drinkers and lovers of the concept. Some of the many points of contention include the inlcusion or exclusion of cherries, to use the flesh or the peel (oils) of an orange, raw sugar versus simple syrup, muddled fruit or no muddled fruit, the addition of soda water or not, and the list goes on...

Here's an interpretation we feel stands up to all of the defining flavors which have proven pervasive throughout the drinks lasting history:

1 Dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters
1 Dash Woodford Reserve Spiced Cherry Bitters
1/2 Part Demerara or Rich Syrup
2 Parts Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon Whiskey

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass and fill to top with ice.
Stir to chill and dilute.
Strain to a Double Old Fashioned glass with an oversized ice cube.
Express the oils of manicured orange and lemon peels over the drink and use for garnishes.