OLD FASHIONED

Classic

Our favourite way to enjoy a scotch Old Fashioned is with Ballantine’s 7 AMERICAN Barrel Finish, plus a couple of dashes of orange bitters to complement the sweet notes of our scotch whisky.

What does an Old Fashioned taste like?

A classic Old Fashioned is a short drink that tastes perfectly sweet, spicy and smooth. The mixture of bitters and whisky creates a rich, intense serve, sweetened by the addition of a muddled sugar cube.

We make our Old Fashioned with Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel Finish for a honeyed, smooth finish. But if you like your drinks super sugared, there are a few fun ways to make an Old Fashioned even sweeter. Try yours with a dash of honey or maple syrup, a popular Canadian twist. Or get fruity with extra orange, a smash of blueberry or turn heads with our Apple Cider Old Fashioned.

Old Fashioned INGREDIENTS

50ml Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel Whisky

1 brown cane sugar cube
4 dashes orange bitters
Orange peel for garnish
Ice Cubes

How to make an Old Fashioned

Add the sugar cube to a tumbler and soak with the bitters
Muddle into a paste
Add the ice cubes, pour over the Ballantine’s 7 and stir for a couple of minutes
Add your orange peel garnish and a couple more ice cubes, if required
Enjoy!

Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel

Old Fashioned: a cocktail history lesson

The Old Fashioned is where it all started. The classic four-ingredient combo (spirit, sugar, water and bitters) was the first official ‘cock-tail’, as referenced by a reader of a New York newspaper. But aside from this initial mention, the history of the Old Fashioned is an uncertain one.

Some say the Old Fashioned originated in late 17th century London around the time aromatic bitters came to town. Others claim it all began with the bartender James E. Pepper in 1880, who served it to guests of New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel Bar after discovering the drink in a Louisville private social club. (Louisville are pretty confident the latter is the truth, declaring it their official cocktail in 2015, and whose to argue?).

Either way, the Old Fashioned continued to gain a must-try reputation, becoming an iconic Prohibition-Era cocktail and staple on every bar menu across the world. And despite its name, there’s nothing uncool about it. Over the last few hundred years, bartenders have been mixing up their own versions, many of which are classics in their own right. So, how will you drink it?