According to cocktail historian David Wondrich, the Old Fashioned is a direct descendant of the earliest known “true” cocktail, which in 1806 consisted of “a little water, a little sugar, a lot of liquor, and a couple splashes of bitters.” Likewise, Charles Browne, author of the 1939 Gun Club Drink Book, suggests that the Old Fashioned was the first American cocktail. Whether you prefer to use rye, bourbon, or a less traditional base spirit in an Old Fashioned, this classic cocktail is dependably warming, sweet, and comforting.
