It’s the drink that launched a thousand bars. Think New York supper clubs, leather chairs, hotel lounges with low lighting. Everyone from Truman to Draper has had one in hand. It’s not just a cocktail—it’s history in a glass.

Bourbon or rye, a little sugar, a few dashes of bitters, and a twist. That’s it. No shaker, no syrupy spin. It’s stirred directly in the glass because it doesn’t need ceremony—just respect. And while it works before dinner, it’s best at the end—unrushed, after the table’s cleared and the stories get good. The ultimate nightcap.

Recipe

• 2 oz bourbon or rye
  
  

• 1 sugar cube or ½ tsp simple syrup
  
  

• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
  Muddle sugar and bitters in a rocks glass, add ice and whiskey, stir gently. Garnish with an orange twist.
  
  

A note: The Old Fashioned is as old as the word “cocktail” itself—first printed in 1806 and still served the same way. It’s survived prohibition, trends, and decades of bad imitations because it never needed anything else.

When we serve it: After dinner, by the fire, or any time a second drink needs to carry more weight than the first.