January Cocktail - The Old Fashioned

The Old Fashioned may be the oldest cocktail. There are dozens of recipes, typically the drink calls for:

1. whiskey
2. sugar
3. bitters
4. citrus twist

I made the Old Fashioned about 15 times in January. At the end of the month, I came to a few preferences:

• Rye over Bourbon - less sweet
• Grapefruit bitters over orange - less sweet
• Angostura bitters are important but in small amounts

So my "official" Old Fashioned is simple to make, but takes some time (perfect for finishing touches on dinner).

Ingredients:

1. 1 1/2 oz. Rye (I used Old Overholt)
2. 1 demerra sugar cube
3. 1 strip orange peel (no white part, orange variety didn't matter)
4. 1 dash Angostura bitters
   
5. 3 dashes grapefruit bitters (I used The Bitter Truth)

Recipe:

1. Add sugar cube, orange peel, bitters to glass
2. Mash significantly
3. Add rye.
4. Leave alone for 3-5 minutes (allows for the sugar to dissolve)
5. Stir
6. Add ice

I often left the ice to melt for a few minutes and found the diluted water improved the drink a bit.