That, the name trains us for a long and complicated story, "old-fashioned" carries away us to sources of emergence of cocktail culture, by the beginning of the 19th century. Speaking about this cocktail, many represent the dressed fit to kill man of years of fifty, ideal appearances with the gentleman's manners.
The first reference to this drink and also the first published definition of the word "cocktail" it is found in the edition of the The Balance and Columbian Repository newspaper of May 13, 1806. Exactly there the editor of the newspaper mentioned cocktail as the drink consisting of strong alcohol, bitter, water and sugar.
Old Fashion - one of the oldest cocktails, but, having passed in years, this vintage classics changed a name, being known as Whisky Cocktail earlier, evolved in methods of preparation and ingredients under the influence of fashion of bar community. Cocktail has 5 techniques of preparation which can be used variably:
Bourbon or rye whisky?
Jerry Thomas included Whiskey Cocktail in its The Bar-Tenders Guide of the 1862nd year - the first cocktail book, and was mentioned as "a glass with whisky". Those days, whisky was probably rye whereas bourbon received popularity at the time of the Prohibition. Thereof, some conservatives consider that Old Fashion has to be prepared on a rye whisky. Despite this, use of bourbon isn't a mistake, and the choice of whisky has to be defined by directly flavoring preferences of drinking. Bourbon impacts a juicy, sweet and saturated taste while the rye gives a spicy response.
Cube of sugar or sugar syrup?
Older recipes of Old Fashion mentioned a sugar cube.
It is located on a glass bottom, is moistened with bitter and a small amount of water, then crushed and stirred before dissolution by the flat end of a bar spoon. But instead of spending time and efforts to the aforesaid, it is possible just to fill in in advance prepared sugar syrup. As David A. Embury wrote to The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks: "You can prepare excellent Old Fashion, using only a sugar syrup".
Press fruit?
The USA divides orange into segments (and often add also Maraschino cherry), and then press at the bottom of a glass by means of a madler. Such practice appeared at the time of the Prohibition as a contrivance from a tart smell of low-quality alcohol and thank you that such practice never concerned England. As Crosby Gaige wrote in 1944, "people of serious mind didn't allow to do a fruit salad of Old Fashion". However cocktail can't be considered as complete without orange dried peel, though it to some extent can be considered an echo of practice of preparation of "fruit salad".
What bitter?
There is no doubt that Old Fashion has the excellent taste partly thanks to bitters and a question only in what to use. Originally Brokers bitter was used by default because was almost only suitable. But it was succeeded by Angostura Aromatic Bitters which are now used everywhere and most often.
Ice
If to use a glass for mixing for preparation of Old Fashion - drink looks much more attractive and holds taste far better if to cool it with one big piece of ice. Otherwise use ice of double freezing.
As well as any classics, true origin of this cocktail changed under the influence of mysticism of time. So for truthfulness of information I specify the quote of Robert Simonson, the author of the book with the long name Old-Fashioned: The Story of the Worlds First Classic Cocktail, with Recipes and Lore: "The Old-Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail (full name of cocktail) the drink which is dated since the beginning of days of emergence of a cocktail era. Its classical formula was put in 1806: the strong basis, is a little sugar, water and bitter. It seldom occurs among the mixed drinks because within the next two centuries it never completely dropped out of sight. Nevertheless, drink really experienced considerable amount of difficulties on the way".
For several decades of life, drink passed a way from the simple name Whisky Cocktail to what we have now. For the history he moved in different variations, beginning from giving without ice to category of "morning" cocktail - that which we usually drink in the morning, opening eyes. And by 1840th year it gained popularity as favourite drink in the company of the stylish and understanding fashion young people of that time.
Since 1870th years the bartenders began to apply new liqueurs which according to them could "improve" Whisky Cocktail, adding such as Curacao, Maraschino, Chartreuse and other options.
For many years different people and the bars stated that they invented Old Fashion, most яро declare authorship in Louisvilles Pendennis Club which was founded in 1881. All these people were topped in deception. As Old Fashion began life as "cocktail" in the most elementary form, authorship of drink probably will never be established.
Having endured the Prohibition in 1933, Old Fashion passed series of changes again. Cocktail then generally was cooked with fruit, as a rule, with a slice of orange and cherry of a Maraschino though pineapple also took place to be. Fruit were mashed a madler at the bottom of a glass. As the reason of these modifications served masking of taste of liqueur which was added to cocktail. One can be told for certain: each of the gushed flow of the cocktail books which appeared in the 1930th years displayed the recipe of Old Fashion, urging to use fruit. The bartenders who again came back on service after 13 years of inaction properly followed this formula.
By 1970th years, with growth of popularity of vodka and disco drinks, Old Fashion began to hand over positions and was unpopular. By the end of the 20th century it became drink which generally was associated with people of the senior generation.
"Old-fashioned" returned to the initial form of the 1880th years within the first decade of this century.