Many consider an “old fashioned” to be a whiskey drink, but it is actually a style of cocktail that can be made with any spirit, from rum to tequila. The cocktail is made by muddling a sugar cube with bitters, then adding the spirit of your choice and a citrus twist. I used Coppercraft Distillery’s vodka to make this Vodka Old Fashioned, which is a tasting room favorite and a great way to serve up this particular vodka. Their vodka is refreshing, with a clean cucumber flavor and a hint of spice. It’s a very clean, balanced spirit, and its spice is enhanced with the bitters in the cocktail.
If you don’t have Coppercraft, you’re going to want to use a high quality vodka that you enjoy the flavor of, since you are going to taste it – along with bitters and cherry – in the finished drink.
Glassware: Old Fashioned
Method: Stir
Ingredients
2 oz. Vodka
1 Sugar Cube*
6 Dashes of Orange Bitters
1-2 Dashes of Aromatic Bitters
2 tsp. Cherry Juice
In an old fashioned glass, muddle sugar cube and bitters until sugar is dissolved. Pour in vodka and cherry juice. Add ice and stir. Garnish with an orange peel and a cocktail cherry.
*I often substitute simple syrup for sugar cubes in old fashioneds because it streamlines the mixing process and it is easier to adjust the sweetness of your drinks.
