Sirious Sips: The Old Fashioned Cocktail

I hope everyone got to try the Eastside Cocktail that I made last week. Gin is one of my favorite spirits to make cocktails with because it's a complex spirit; depending on what you mix it with, different subtleties appear. But before I make more cocktails with gin, I want to talk about my other favorite spirit, and that is Rye.

Everybody say it with me… RRRYYYEEE!

I recently went to Rye House after work, and had one of the best Sazeracs I've ever tasted. But I'm not gonna make that for you today. That was mean, wasn't it? I'm sorry. To be honest, I actually had that AFTER I took all the pictures for this blog. So, maybe I'll go back, dissect the ingredients, and make it for you next week. At least, what I'm making for you today is similar to a Sazerac; it's my version of the Old Fashioned Cocktail.

The Old Fashioned Cocktail
Printable Recipe

1 Sugar Cube or 1 Spoonful of Sugar
2 dashes of Angostura or Fee Brother's Old Fashioned Bitters
1 Large Orange Peel
2.5 Oz. Rye Whiskey


First, put a sugar cube in a rocks glass with 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters.


Now, if you don't have or you can't get sugar cubes then just use a spoonful of sugar. I have La Perruche pure cane rough cut sugar cubes by Béghin Say, and I got them at Zabar's (which is an awesome specialty foods market in Manhattan).

Muddle the sugar and bitters together until it creates a rough paste.


Cut a large orange peel and make sure to get rid of as much of the bitter white pith as you can.



Once you've got the orange peel, squeeze and twist it over the glass until you see all the delicious oils glistening; add the peel in and muddle away some more.



Next, add your 2.5 ounces of Rye and then add your ice. Stir it (I use a chopstick because I don't have a long bar spoon).



And now, my weekly cocktail snob remark. Ice! I like to use bigger than normal ice cubes. Sister Hannah gave me some rubber ice cube trays that make big, perfect cube ice cubes and they work great (I'm sure you can find them at any sort of housewares store). The bigger the ice cube, the slower they will melt. The slower your ice melts in your cocktail, the less diluted your cocktail will be.

Enjoy!