Best Bourbon For An Old Fashion?

[reg46]

I Use Makers in my Old Fashioned with Agustini bitters, I've started to use some Yuzu peel instead of orange ( for those that don't know Yuzu is a citrus fruit that is popular in Japan its like a mixture of lemon and orange) but its nice to mix it up.

I don't use expensive bourbon or rye in my cocktails I tend to keep those for drinking straight.

 

[reg46]

Very well said. I ended up going with Knob Creek and I 100% agree, a better bourbon makes a better drink regardless of if it is mixed or straight up. I will try other, because I like to try new things, but to say that the cheapest will do in a mixed drink, I say nay to you sir... quality is quality is quality. You want a quality mixed drink, start with quality liquor. CAN I GET AN AMEN!!!!

For me there is a price point I'm fine using makers or knobs creek in cocktails but I am not going to use anything over 35 bucks for mixed drinks

 

[Capt Morgan]

I recently picked up some Fee Brothers cherry and orange bitters and have been putting those in my old fashions lately. Gives is a little sweeter taste, but I am liking it. Almost time for a new bottle of bourbon.

 

[Capt Morgan]

For me there is a price point I'm fine using makers or knobs creek in cocktails but I am not going to use anything over 35 bucks for mixed drinks

I agree with that. I just can't do the cheap gut rot though, it just ends up making me sick.

 

[reg46]

I recently picked up some Fee Brothers cherry and orange bitters and have been putting those in my old fashions lately. Gives is a little sweeter taste, but I am liking it. Almost time for a new bottle of bourbon.

I was given a batch of Hella Bitters which are pretty good, I will look out for the fee brothers

 

[anotherbob]

I’ve got no qualms using really high quality stuff in cocktails. I like to think of it as the better ingredients you use the better the drink is. A cocktail is its own thing, a sum of parts. You’re not “wasting” wagyu by making it into a burger you’re just making a really kick ass burger, that being said you should probably get matching quality ingredients to go with that, fresh lettuce, high quality bacon... I’m not drooling...

I’ve found that the subtleties and complexities of high quality alcohol can lend those to a well blended cocktail and really make something special.

+1 for Luxardo cherrys or Amarena cherrys. Though I usually only use them for Manhattans.

My old fashion is typically two sugar cubes, three dashes of bitters, and a orange twist, I like to use cara cara oranges if I can find them. Muddle all of that, add 3oz of bourbon and large ice cube give a quick stir, done. Works pretty well with any bourbon and using the same recipe with different bourbons has been a fun way to see how the bourbon it’s self changes the drink.

I think it depends on the cocktail. Some are worse with better liquor. Like a margarita which I am not really a fan of needs the little extra bite of something not really smooth. Now an old fashion yes that would be best with better ingredients. For me it all comes down to what is the star of the show.

 

[lightxmyfire]

I think it depends on the cocktail. Some are worse with better liquor. Like a margarita which I am not really a fan of needs the little extra bite of something not really smooth. Now an old fashion yes that would be best with better ingredients. For me it all comes down to what is the star of the show.

I totally agree, it's all about looking at the individual ingredients and pairing them well. Though speaking of margaritas lord help me don't give me that cheap a** acid sour mix, use that to clean your drains and squeeze some limes please! A great way I've found to make a kick ass margarita is to cut the tequila with a little mezcal, this works especially well to add that missing bite to a really smooth silver tequila and adds some nice character to the drink!

 

[anotherbob]

I totally agree, it's all about looking at the individual ingredients and pairing them well. Though speaking of margaritas lord help me don't give me that cheap a** acid sour mix, use that to clean your drains and squeeze some limes please! A great way I've found to make a kick ass margarita is to cut the tequila with a little mezcal, this works especially well to add that missing bite to a really smooth silver tequila and adds some nice character to the drink!

never really like that drink much either way. I tend to drink things neat. And that's a drink that just reminds me of drunk girls with annoying voices who think they're way more fun then they actually are.

 

[Jshogan2]

I am out of bourbon tonight, I usually go for Four Roses or Maker's Mark. Looking for some other opinions.

4Roses single barrel over here. Makes a great Old Fashioned!

 

[shanez]

1792 Small Batch:

Available locally for $33/bottle but I found it online for $22/bottle (also found it on sale for $28/bottle locally). I drink it neat for the most part. Not overly complex but a classic Bourbon flavor with quite a bit of baking spice/cinnamon and just the right amount of sweetness. I do suspect it wouldn't be worth drinking, at least neat anyway, if it wasn't over 80 proof. Good enough to drink neat yet for the price I don't hesitate to mix it.

The stronger proof and extra spice lends itself ideally to an old fashioned. It lets the Bourbon come through without overpowering the drink yet isn't as spicy as a rye.

I like my old fashioned with a little extra Bourbon, homemade simple syrup, orange bitters, and a bit of orange peel over a single oversized ice cube. Simple yet very tasty.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

A great way I've found to make a kick ass margarita is to cut the tequila with a little mezcal, this works especially well to add that missing bite to a really smooth silver tequila and adds some nice character to the drink!

Yes! I always preferred mezcal over tequila, and often made mine with mezcal in place of it. I always liked that smoky kick. In place of Triple Sec, I always used agave nectar and a squeeze of juice from those little clementine oranges that my kids like. And if the limes are super tart, it helps to add a little water. Not too much, just enough to tame the acid. Shake it up and pour over rocks in a salt rimmed glass. There were never any frozen margaritas served in my house ?
Nothing against those that prefer them that way, of course.

 

[pantsBoots]

Brandy Old Fashioned's here. We use Christian Bros.

Brandy/cognac mint juleps are the stuff of dreams. A decent Brandy makes a great Sazerac as well.

 

[NomadOrb]

I usually drink bourbon neat, but Four Roses Single Barrel holds up to anything you add to it. Delicious.

 

[username]

When I drank bullit rye and the regular bullit were always good.

 

[craiginthecorn]

As many others have alluded to, you want something higher proof to stand up to some dilution from melting ice, so a bottled in bond whiskey is perfect at 100 proof. There are quite a few of those and the lion's share are reasonably priced and pretty decent quality. Personally, I go for Rittenhouse Rye, which was the type of whiskey originally used for an Old Fashioned. It's a higher proof rye.

In any case, ANY bourbon or rye is 10000 times better than that abomination that my friends and relatives in Wisconsin drink -- the Brandy Old-fashioned. Not only do they prefer brandy, it's crap Korbel brandy and then they put 7-Up in it. Disgusting.

 

[ashdigger]

As many others have alluded to, you want something higher proof to stand up to some dilution from melting ice, so a bottled in bond whiskey is perfect at 100 proof. There are quite a few of those and the lion's share are reasonably priced and pretty decent quality. Personally, I go for Rittenhouse Rye, which was the type of whiskey originally used for an Old Fashioned. It's a higher proof rye.

In any case, ANY bourbon or rye is 10000 times better than that abomination that my friends and relatives in Wisconsin drink -- the Brandy Old-fashioned. Not only do they prefer brandy, it's crap Korbel brandy and then they put 7-Up in it. Disgusting.

My dad drank that shit. Absolutely disgusting

 

[musicman]

In any case, ANY bourbon or rye is 10000 times better than that abomination that my friends and relatives in Wisconsin drink -- the Brandy Old-fashioned. Not only do they prefer brandy, it's crap Korbel brandy and then they put 7-Up in it. Disgusting.

Yep. 7-up. And pineapple juice. And muddled cheap Maraschino cherries. pretty much an abomination to add to any good whiskey or brandy. I've got a friend from Milwaukee and every time we'd have dinner at his place he'd make 'em. To his credit, he did keep a bottle of Maker's Mark on hand specifically for whenever I'd come over, and he'd mix mine with Bourbon instead, which helped. The wife loves 'em but I'm slowly winning her over to "real" cocktails.

I've been making my old fashioneds with Buffalo Trace lately. It's an excellent pour, and relatively cheap ($25.00). Whiskey, bitters, and a little maple syrup makes a great drink. Most often though these days, I forget to add the bitters and syrup. A good whiskey doesn't always need them.

 

[craiginthecorn]

Regarding my well-deserved trashing of Wisconsin's beloved Brand Old Fashioned, please allow me to say there is a great use for that crap Korbel brandy. Go into any decent supper club in Wisconsin (there are fewer now, but they're still easy to find) and after you've finished your dinner of iceberg lettuce side salad, pickled beets, cottage cheese, crackers with cheese spread, and prime rib, steak, fried chicken, or walleye, do yourself a favor and have a frozen Brandy Alexander. It's more dessert than cocktail, but it's mighty tasty. The Sister Bay Bowl makes theirs with ice cream. It's like the World's Best Shake.

By the way, yes, the Sister Bay Bowl supper club is also a bowling alley with maybe eight lanes. It doesn't get any more Wisconsin than the Sister Bay Bowl, and it's wonderful. Their prime rib is truly excellent.

 

[Zack Miller]

You’re in Texas and you haven’t tried TX?

 

[pantsBoots]

As many others have alluded to, you want something higher proof to stand up to some dilution from melting ice, so a bottled in bond whiskey is perfect at 100 proof. There are quite a few of those and the lion's share are reasonably priced and pretty decent quality. Personally, I go for Rittenhouse Rye, which was the type of whiskey originally used for an Old Fashioned. It's a higher proof rye.

In any case, ANY bourbon or rye is 10000 times better than that abomination that my friends and relatives in Wisconsin drink -- the Brandy Old-fashioned. Not only do they prefer brandy, it's crap Korbel brandy and then they put 7-Up in it. Disgusting.

Try it with Pierre Ferrand 1840 if you get the chance. Fun fact: before the Civil War, I understand most brown cocktails were mixed with French cognac. It was not until the blockade cut off supply of this precious liquid that southern mixologists started turning to barrel-aged, locally produced corn licker