Whiskey Old-Fashioneds (With Really Good Fruit)

Nora Maynard
Nora Maynard
Nora Maynard is a freelance writer based in New York City. Her recent work has appeared in Salon, Drunken Boat, and The Millions. She recently completed her ninth marathon and her first novel, Burnt Hill Road. Nora wrote for The Kitchn from 2006 to 2011.
updated May 3, 2019
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Makes1 drink

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(Image credit: Nora Maynard)

Fruit or no fruit? That is the question (or one of them, anyway). Like Martinis, Old-Fashioneds are one of those drinks that’ve been around long enough to have developed more than a few variations.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

A satisfying blend of whiskey (preferably straight rye or bourbon, though some recipes use Canadian Whisky or a blended scotch), bitters, and sugar, stirred together with ice (and sometimes topped up with club soda), the Old-Fashioned makes a great wintertime drink. Richly flavorful, but not overly strong, it works equally well during cocktail hour, or as an after-dinner sipper.

But let’s get back to the fruit: While older, pre-Prohibition recipes call for the simple addition of a twist of lemon peel to the mix described above, more recent versions often fancy things up with a slice of orange and a maraschino cherry instead. And while it’s often been remarked that these late additions were just add-ons to disguise the taste of bad contraband liquor during Prohibition, I personally think they can contribute a lot to the flavor of the drink.

So, if you have some good really fruit on hand – as I did this weekend – why not take advantage? Slice up some fresh, juicy oranges (I used blood oranges), and drop in a quality preserved cherry (I used homemade maraschinos preserved from the summer – with no day-glow red dye, they’re a little pale looking in the photo, but believe me, their flavor’s amazing), and you’re in business.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
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Whiskey Old-Fashioned (Fruit-Style)

Makes 1 drink

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces

    whiskey (rye or bourbon – I used Old Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey)

  • 1 teaspoon

    granulated sugar (or 1 sugar cube)

  • 2 dashes

    Angostura bitters

  • 1

    orange wedge (I used blood orange)

  • 1

    maraschino cherry (I used homemade)

  • 1 teaspoon

    water (for muddling)

  • A splash of club soda (I omitted this step)

Instructions

  1. Place the sugar cube in the bottom of an Old-Fashioned glass. Add the bitters and water directly to the sugar so that they are absorbed. Muddle together with the back of a spoon (some recipes call for the fruit to be muddled at this point, but I prefer to add it later, whole). Add the whiskey and one or two large ice cubes. Stir gently. Garnish with the cherry and orange - and be sure to savor both when your drink is done.

Related: The Celluloid Pantry: Sazeracs and Live and Let Die (1973)

(Images: Nora Maynard)

-Nora

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