When it comes to classic cocktails, you can’t go more retro than the Old Fashioned. Three simple ingredients — muddled sugar, bitters, and whiskey — have ensured the cocktail’s popularity for more than a century. Even when one or more of these ingredients became difficult to obtain during Prohibition and the near extinction of bitters in the latter half of the twentieth century, the Old Fashioned remained a favorite of experienced drinkers whose habits were a bulwark against the changing times.
That’s not to say the Old Fashioned recipe was a fixed entity — it evolved from a dry and bitter drink to the sweet fruit mashup that many bar guests have been accustomed to since the 1980s. But the classic cocktail revival has spurred interest in forgotten recipes, including variations on the Old Fashioned. Concurrently, the growing appreciation for historical tourism in the nation’s capital means you will find cocktail menus steeped in colonial history.
The Tabard Inn (1739 N Street NW) has been a Dupont Circle fixture since the 1920s, its antique décor and quaint bar hearkening back to the days when innkeepers doubled as bartenders. Here they fix a vintage Old Fashioned, muddling a Peychaud’s bitters-soaked brown sugar cube on a lemon zest before stirring in James E. Pepper 1776 rye. A traditional dry variation with cherries used as a garnish, not muddled into the drink, and rye that lends a honeyed spice to complement the bitters.
Just across the street, under the arch of the old carriage gateway and flicker of gas lighting, Iron Gate’s (1734 N Street NW) ambiance is perfect for a throwback drinking experience. Victoria Freeman makes the Black Old Fashioned, created by beverage manager Nick Farrell; WhistlePig 10-year-old straight rye and a little-known amaro, Maria al Monte amaro, gives the drink a Fernet-like bitterness that’s more out-of-this-world than Old World.
“There’s no sugar, no juice, just a muddled orange zest,” says Freeman. You won’t find this particular drink on the menu, so be sure to ask for it if you are looking for the driest, most herbaceous Old Fashioned in town.
Old Town Alexandria has no shortage of bars with Colonial charm, but few pull it off so completely as The Ashlar Restaurant and Bar (116 S Alfred Street, #101, Alexandria, VA) where the focus is on regional foods and an authentic eighteenth century cocktail menu. Lead bartender Maria Concepcion researched and designed the drinks list with the Founding Fathers’ tastes in mind.
“There wasn’t much good whiskey back then,” says Concepcion, “but they drank rum and drinks with ale, sherry and madeira, and eggs and nutmeg.” Many of the drinks resurrected by Concepcion go by daunting names: The Rattle-Scull, made at Ashlar with a dark and bitter combo of Port City Porter, Laird’s Applejack, blackstrap rum, and a nutmeg-dusted lime slice; and the Diamondback No. 5, a spicy and potent cocktail served up with yellow Chartreuse, rye, and applejack. Chairman’s Reserve spiced rum, rather than whiskey, is at the heart of Concepcion’s Old Fashioned, featuring muddled rustic sugar and cardamom and Decanter Bitters for a deep, dark sipper brightened only by lemon zest.
DBGB (931 H Street NW) is a modern bistro, but their Colonial cocktail is a boozy rum drink similar to Concepcion’s Old Fashioned, a mix of apple brandy, rye, Smith & Cross Jamaican rum, Demerara rum, and tiki bitters. A complex sipping drink, cinnamon spice and bitter nuttiness rise and fall on the palate, and, because it’s served without ice, the cocktail becomes more aromatic as it warms up.
Smoked Maple Old Fashioned
Knob Creek’s smoked maple bourbon makes a fine addition to the Old Fashioned lineage. At 90 proof, the whiskey is dry enough to require a little sugar, but the smoky maple scent sets this recipe apart.
2 ounce Knob Creek smoked maple bourbon
1 brown sugar cube
Several dashes Angostura bitters
Fresh lemon peel, about two inches long
Build drink in a double Old Fashioned glass with a lemon peel and sugar cube coated in bitters. Muddle the ingredients until the sugar cube breaks up. Add whiskey and ice and stir until chilled.
