Old-Fashioned Mix

Anyone make their own? Store bought stuff is a little too sweet for me...

Couple of the guys I hunt with make their own, but nobody will share the recipe.

Or recommend a good store-bought variety...

Go just about anywhere out of state and people are lost when you ask for an old-fashioned. Same goes for friday night fish fry's. More or less just a Wisconsin thing.

Back in the early '80s I bartended at TGI Fridays. Our Old Fashions were made as follows; Start with cherry and orange slice, muddle Add 2 shakes bitters 1/2 oz. simple syrup ( one lb sugar dissolved in one quart water) 2 oz. whisky or brandy of choice fill with ice and top with 7 up, sour, or water as preferred...............................

now a days I stick with Kesslers and water, smooth as silk.............

Benuts,

Did you included pickled asparagus? My favorite with olives being a close second...

Have agood hunt.

Mapper

Well, here's what I came up with..

3 parts cherry syrup 1+ part blood orange bitters couple squirts of lime juice couple dashes of worcestershire

Haven't tried it with the brandy and splash of soda yet, but I think its a winner.

Thanks all for your suggestions -- and good luck this weekend!

I keep mine simple. 7up, half shot cherry juice, 2+ shots brandy, ice, olives. Would have one right now but 9:00 AM is a little too early even if there is a Packer game tonight.

o.k. hers mine

i use a pint glass ( saves the extra trips )

ice... three fingers of canadian club...

three dashes bitters we use fresca for sour, gives it a little extra taste

the secrect for us is we use about 1-2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup

orange for garnish

and take a slice a lemon around the rim

after you ad the maple syrup , stir it a bit to mix or it will sink to the bottom

.................................... then repeat oh i don't know 4 or 5 times

With good Korbel brandy I like bitters, 7-up and cherry juice. About right for my taste. Seems the mixes and or sugar make it too sweet for me. Top it off with an olive(s) or garnish of your choice.

Benuts-

The last Manhattan I had in NYC was $12.00 and that was 4 years ago..... I would expect and Old Fashioned to be similar.

Good thing it was with a client and on my expense account!

Mapper

benuts - You're right, you don't want to know. I can't remember exactly how much they were but they were more than a beer of course. I'm pretty sure I paid $7 for a bud light. Needless to say I did not drink much.

I use a small tumbler, put some sugar cubes in there with a few shakes of bitters and a little cherry juice. Crush this up with a muddler. Add a little 7up to foam it up. In another glass filled with ice, add Crown Royal. Then pour mixture over that. Then top off with more 7up and a little more cherry juice with a cherry. If I have orange slices, I will add that with the cherry.

Sometimes I use bar sugar, it comes in a canister and foams better.

I was in this really fancy hotel in New York City on a work trip a few years ago, sitting at the bar with jeans on while everyone else was in business attire (suits). I asked for an old fashion and they had no clue. So not only was I the one guy dressed inappropriately for the place, I'm also sitting there trying to explain a drink no one heard of, talking like I'm from Wisconsin. LOL! I can just imagine what they thought...

benuts, I ordered one in NW Wisconsin and ended up having to go behind the bar to teach the bartender proper Old Fashioned mixing form. It seems that if you get away from NE Wisconsin, the population of people that drink and know how to make a good Old Fashioned decreases. Anyone else see this?

Sweet soda, whiskey, bitters. I don't use a mix at all. I know a bar that puts sugar in them and that's not bad, but it's not necessary in my book.

I like bitters so I usually put about 8-10 dashes of Agnostura Bitters over my ice cubes followed by a generous portion of Kesslers and top it off with sour soda. I have added a little orange twist and that is refreshing in summer.

My Dad used to do the same as above but started with a sugar cube drenched with the bitters. He'd then crush it, add the ice cubes and booze and then froth up the mix as he poured in the soda. It had a nice frothy feel to it but I'm not into sweet stuff so much.

Don't like'em sweet and can't stand mixes. We just fill a big tumbler cocktail glass full of ice, generous 4-5 dashes of Angostura bitters, squeeze a slice of orange and drop it in, fill 1/3 to 1/2 way with J. Bavet or Korbel brandy, fill to top with seltzer water (use 7up if you like them sweet). If feeling festive we'll add a cinnamon stick. Replace orange slice for refills but the cinnamon stick gets better with each drink. Never had a complaint yet and many friends insist I make them one immediately upon arrival to our home.