In this edition of “Mix Your Menu,” we focus on riffing the Old Fashioned.
Breakthru Wisconsin Beverage Development Specialist Dan Dufek – previously featured in our annual industry trends report – serves up three spins on the cocktail that Business Insider deemed one of the top 10 bestselling cocktail in the world.
1.5 oz. aged rum
.5 oz. spiced pear liqueur
.25 oz. honey syrup
2 marasca cherries
1 orange half wheel
5 dashes aromatic bitters
1-2 oz. soda of choice (lemon-lime, sour soda, ginger ale, etc.)
“The Pear Honey Old Fashioned is an autumn-inspired take on the classic Wisconsin Old Fashioned. I consider the traditional Old Fashioned and Wisconsin versions to be two separate cocktails, differentiated by the presence of muddled fruit and soda in the Wisconsin version. In this cocktail, as with any Wisconsin-style Old Fashioned, using simple syrup (instead of sugar), quality cherries and copious amounts of bitters can make all the difference.”
2 oz. rye whiskey
.25 oz. sorghum syrup (2 parts pure sorghum syrup to 1 part hot water, stirred to combine)
3 dashes aromatic bitters
“The Sorghum Old Fashioned is a very straightforward variation of the traditional Old Fashioned. Sorghum is an amazing and seriously underutilized cocktail ingredient. It has the rich sweetness of molasses or maple, but also an incredibly deep and savory earthiness that, even in small doses, can totally transform a drink.”
1.5 oz. VSOP cognac or brandy
.5 oz. cherry liqueur
.25 oz. simple syrup
3 dashes aromatic bitters
3 dashes orange bitters
2 oz. lemon-lime soda
“The A to B Old Fashioned is my bridge between the traditional and Wisconsin Old Fashioneds. Basically, it is a way of accessing the flavors of a Wisconsin version without having to muddle and end up with a ‘fruit salad’ at the bottom of your glass. I’ve served this drink to many Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned drinkers with great success. It’s also batchable, which is a huge plus for events or high-volume accounts.”