No doubt that the craft distillery industry is alive and growing in the Finger Lakes region of New York and across the US.  There so many opportunities to find good bourbons and whiskys crafted outside the traditional hot spots of Kentucky and Tennessee.   Because the Old Fashioned is one of our favorite cocktails we have enjoyed them at every small craft distillery we visit.  Even though we tend to order our cocktail made with bourbon rather than rye, we find a strong a distinct difference in the recipes and taste of the drink.  We will dedicate and entire article to the differences but for today we are offering a couple of classic Old Fashioned cocktail recipes and a brief history of each.  Cheers!

Here are two distinctly different recipes—the Classic Old Fashioned (Rye) and a Modern, Fruity Old Fashioned (Rum)—along with their history and key differences.

1. The Classic Old Fashioned (Rye Whiskey)

This recipe is the quintessential, no-nonsense version that honors the drink's original definition: spirit, sugar, water (bitters), and ice. Using high-proof rye gives it a spicy, dry kick.

📜 History

The Old Fashioned is arguably the original cocktail. The first definition of a "cocktail" appeared in 1806, defining it as a mixture of "spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters." By the late 1800s, people started adding liqueurs and other ingredients to this simple formula. Disgusted purists, particularly at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky, began asking for the drink to be made "the old-fashioned way," thus giving the drink its enduring name. Rye was the original whiskey of choice in the early 19th-century American Northeast.

🍹 Recipe Ingredients

• Spirit: 2 oz High-Rye Whiskey (e.g., Rittenhouse, Michter's Rye)
• Sweetener: 1 Barspoon (or 1 sugar cube) Turbinado Sugar or simple syrup
• Bitters: 3-4 Dashes Angostura Bitters
• Garnish: A thick, expressed Lemon Peel (or Orange Peel)

🛠️ Instructions

1. Place the sugar/syrup and bitters in an Old Fashioned glass.
2. If using a sugar cube, add a tiny splash of water (or whiskey) and muddle it gently until dissolved.
3. Add 1 oz of the rye whiskey and a large block of ice. Stir for about 10-15 seconds.
4. Add the remaining 1 oz of whiskey and stir for another 5 seconds to achieve the perfect dilution and temperature.
5. Express the citrus peel over the drink by twisting it, run it around the rim of the glass, and drop it in.

2. The Modern, Fruity Old Fashioned (Aged Rum)

This variation shifts the base spirit and incorporates a different sweetener and bitters to create a warmer, more tropical, and distinctly fruit-forward profile.

📜 History

While not an "Old Fashioned" in the historical sense, this drink belongs to the "Reimagined Classics" movement of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Bartenders embraced the simple "spirit + sugar + bitters" template but substituted all the traditional ingredients. Aged rum provides a rich, caramel base, moving the cocktail from the American Midwest to the Caribbean. The use of chocolate bitters and a specific garnish profile completes the modern, tropical feel.

🍹 Recipe Ingredients

• Spirit: 2 oz Aged (Dark) Rum (e.g., Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva, Appleton Estate Reserve)
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• Sweetener: 1/2 oz Maple Syrup or Demerara Syrup
• Bitters: 3-4 Dashes Chocolate Bitters (or Black Walnut Bitters)
• Garnish: Orange Peel and a Brandied Cherry

🛠️ Instructions

1. Combine the rum, maple syrup, and chocolate bitters in a mixing glass.
2. Add ice and stir well for about 20-30 seconds until the mixture is well-chilled and slightly diluted.
3. Strain the mixture into an Old Fashioned glass over a large block of ice.
4. Garnish with the expressed orange peel (discard the peel or leave it in) and the brandied cherry.