Islay Old Fashioned
Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 30.4% ABV ∙
The Islay Old Fashioned is a stirred variation on the Old Fashioned made with peated single malt whisky, brown sugar syrup and Creole-style bitters.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Stir all ingredients with ice: Peated single malt whisky 75 mlBrown sugar syrup 10 mlCreole-style bitters 3 dashes
- Strain into the ice-filled glass
- Express a lemon twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
Tips
- Stir for about 30 seconds; that's enough water to soften the smoke of 75 ml of peated whisky without thinning the drink.
- Warm the brown sugar syrup slightly if it has thickened in storage so it stirs in evenly instead of pooling at the bottom.
History
The Islay Old Fashioned was created in 2014, inspired by a memorable Old Fashioned made with Laphroaig at Hotel Delmano, a bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Its defining change is a peated single malt from Islay in place of the usual bourbon or rye, which gives the drink a smoky, maritime edge. It also uses Peychaud's-style bitters instead of the usual Angostura.
The Old Fashioned it riffs on is generally dated to the early 19th century as a simple mix of spirit, sugar, and bitters, and its origin is disputed among several claimants.
