re: Craft cocktails for Saturday-Update and Old Fashioned question

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I followed a recipe and there drink was quite small volume wise. It looks like a large volume in pictures. Are they usually made as doubles? Did I forget something obvious?

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No, it's the ice. Just about every properly mixed cocktail will yield the almost same volume of liquid. What makes one drink appear to be more than another is the amount and type of ice used. For instance, crushed ice will fill up a large glass and turn a 4oz drink into what appears to be a 16oz while a neat bourbon drink of 4oz will appear to be practically nothing.

An old fashioned should use either one large square or round ice cube or 2-3 medium sized ones. Most bars will just use regular ice cubes which are smaller volume individually, so the finished product will appear to be more liquid than a properly constructed one.

I'm not sure of your particular issue though without more info, so what were your proportions? I make my OF's with 1.5oz bourbon, 1 sugar cube, 1 splash water and 8-10 splashes of angostura (I like to go heavy on the bitters) with an orange zest to rim the glass. This isn't much liquid in the end, but it's also not cut with very many other liquids



For reference, this is what a properly constructed Old Fashioned should look like. Most bartenders muddle the shite out of oranges and cherries to build the base, but that's not a true OF (though I do like these as well sometimes, so don't mistake this as me being a snooty critic).

I'm too late for this I see, but a whiskey sour, without the egg white, is an easy and different drink.

For those that use bourbon, what are your go to bourbons for the OF?

Sorry got cut off. I notice no cherry in the pictured OF of another poster. Are you anti cherry? Many will say a cherry is not a true old fashioned. I've also seen people say an orange is not? It was a lemon? Or people say no citrus peel or zest of any kind?

Who knows.

What i do know that this poster was right about. DONT MUDDLE EVERYTHING!!! That makes a damned slurry. Mash the sugar and the bitters. I do like to take the peel and mash a little more oil out of it, but if I'm given orange slices, I don't bitch. I just don't mash the slice. Also don't mash the cherry. I "rough it up" in the glass. Try to make sure it gets cracked open, but not mashed to red pulp. Nowhere near that.

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I notice no cherry in the pictured OF of another poster. Are you anti cherry?

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Not necessarily; it all depends on my mood. If I want sweeter I will do the more common cherry/orange slice OF.

I was referencing what a true OF ought to be if strictly sticking to original design. The cherry and orange was a later addition, but the original (to my understanding) was bitters, bourbon, sugar cube and zest of orange. The orange zest was meant for its oils to pair with the cloves and other spices of the bitters. Lemon has never been part of the OF to my knowledge, but I certainly could be wrong.



To the OP:

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what are your go to bourbons for the OF?

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My go to bourbons are Buffalo Trace or Old Charter. Both of those are high quality flavors at not expensive prices. I'm not a bourbon aficionado, so I'm only giving you what I personally like. You should hit up the very extensive bourbon thread on this board. The people in there are very knowledgeable and are always willing to offer suggestions and information.