Old Fashioned Week is celebrated globally, this year from the 5th to the 14th of November. This annual event is a 10-day cocktail celebration for discerning whiskey drinkers who appreciate an authentic craft cocktail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thousands of mixologists from different bars around the globe shelve their shakers for mixing spoons to create the classic cocktail with a twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The last two years have seen a more subdued celebration, but there’s no reason you can’t pay tribute to the father of all cocktails in the comfort of your own home and make one like a pro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn more about this classic cocktail, with helpful tips and a delicious Woodford Reserve inspired cocktail recipe from Rowan Gibb, South Africa’s Super Premium Ambassador for Woodford Reserve:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is an Old-Fashioned?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A sophisticated blend of bourbon, bitters, water and sugar, the Old-Fashioned<\/em> cocktail has roots that date back to the 1800s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Largely still made according to the oldest known cocktail recipe, it is believed that it was founded at The Pendennis Club, a gentlemen’s club founded in 1881 in Louisville, Kentucky. The recipe is said to have been invented by a local bartender, in honour of a prominent bourbon distiller who brought the recipe to the internationally acclaimed Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The name originates from the way it is made, with people heading to cocktail bars and requesting for their drink to be created the ‘old fashioned way’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Traditionally ‘the old-fashioned way’ was to take a whisk(e)y glass and add a lump of sugar, dissolving it with a small amount of water. The bartender would then add two dashes of bitters, a lump of ice and a miniature bar spoon. They would then hand it to the customer, along with a bottle of bourbon, and allow them to pour their own drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For many years bartenders around the global have placed their own twist on the classic cocktail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tips from the Pro Before you Get Started<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Gibb, recommends the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1) Always use a nice, clear whiskey tumbler glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2) Use good quality ice that will keep the drink at the best temperature and last longer in the cocktail. The larger the ice cube the better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3) Choose the best quality spirit such as Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select – traditionally an Old Fashioned is made with Whisk(e)y but bourbon offers a slightly sweeter flavour profile complimenting the drink and bringing out over 200 flavour notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4) Chill the mixing glass and if you’re making the drink for someone else, stir the drink in front of them for a bit of a show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5) Importantly, don’t shake the cocktail – an Old Fashioned should be stirred and not shaken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Spectacle for the Senses at home – create your own Old Fashioned:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Celebrate the father of all cocktails with an Old-Fashioned to inspire your senses – try this rendition of the classic American bourbon cocktail with Woodford Reserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Woodford Reserve is particularly suited to the Old Fashioned, it is a super-premium bourbon crafted carefully with over 200 flavour notes (212 to be exact), it wows your senses, delights your palate, and surprises you with every new scent and sensation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n