The Old-Fashioned—a simple combination of sugar, bitters and whiskey—has become so codified in the cocktail world that one might be forgiven for assuming that, through osmosis, they’d mastered it. But for the studious, the Old-Fashioned, like the Manhattan or the Sazerac, is a master class in contrasts—one proudly sensitive to changes in its structure. Consider, for example, Tom Macy’s take. The former partner in New York’s Clover Club arrived at his Old-Fashioned build after testing 40 variations over several years. “I tried different ryes, I tried different bourbons, I tried split bases,” he says. “I really took it apart.”
In our Ultimates series, we search for the very best examples of seemingly simple drinks. Here is a selection of six of those tried-and-true recipes for the whiskey classics, from the Sazerac to the Rob Roy and beyond.
