Brandy Old Fashioned (Wisconsin-style)
A sweet and bitter brandy cocktail ∙ Muddle ∙ 3 min ∙ 28.8% ABV ∙
The Brandy Old Fashioned (Wisconsin-style) muddles orange, cherry, brown sugar syrup and Angostura in the glass, then adds brandy and crushed ice.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Muddle the first 4 ingredients in the base of the glass: Orange 1 wedgeMaraschino cherry 1 pcBrown sugar syrup 5 mlAngostura aromatic bitters 2 dashes
- Add Brandy 60 ml and a scoop of crushed ice
- Garnish with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry on a skewer
Tips
- Muddle the orange wedge and cherry gently with the brown sugar syrup and bitters for just 5-8 seconds; press longer and the pith turns the drink bitter.
History
The Brandy Old Fashioned (Wisconsin-style) is Wisconsin's brandy take on the Old Fashioned. A popular origin story points to the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, where the California winery Korbel, founded in 1882, poured samples of its brandy, and Central European immigrants from Milwaukee took a liking to it. In that telling, they carried the brandy home and used it in their Old Fashioneds in place of whiskey, a substitution that became the region's defining style.
The Old Fashioned's own name dates to the 1870s and 1880s, when drinkers who wanted the plain spirit, sugar, water, and bitters "cocktail" began asking for it "old-fashioned," and the name stuck.
FAQ
What is in a Brandy Old Fashioned?
Orange, maraschino cherry, brown sugar syrup, and Angostura bitters muddled together, then topped with brandy and crushed ice. It's made right in the glass, so the muddled fruit stays in the drink rather than being strained out.
Is a Brandy Old Fashioned shaken or stirred?
Neither — it's muddled. The orange, cherry, sugar syrup, and bitters are crushed together in the glass to release their juice and oils before the brandy and ice go in.
What glass is a Brandy Old Fashioned served in?
An old-fashioned glass with crushed ice, garnished with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry on a skewer.
Is a Brandy Old Fashioned the same as a regular Old Fashioned?
No. It swaps the whiskey for brandy, usually a Californian one such as Korbel, which is what defines the Wisconsin style. The muddled orange and cherry also play a bigger part than in a typical whiskey Old Fashioned, so it tastes fruitier and sweeter.
Is a Brandy Old Fashioned vegan?
Yes. Every ingredient here (brandy, orange, maraschino cherry, brown sugar syrup and bitters) is vegan, vegetarian and lactose-free.
