IBA
Old Fashioned – IBA
Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 33.4% ABV ∙
The Old Fashioned is a stirred whiskey cocktail of bourbon, sugar, and Angostura bitters served over ice in its namesake glass. Dense and syrupy on the tongue, with a warming oak-driven finish and a bright citrus snap from the twist cutting through the sweetness.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Place Sugar cube 1 ml in old fashioned glass and saturate with Angostura aromatic bitters 2 dashes, add few dashes of plain Chilled water 2 dashes
- Muddle until dissolved
- Fill the glass with ice cubes and add Bourbon 45 ml
- Stir gently
- Strain into the chilled glass
- Garnish with an orange slice or an orange twist and a maraschino cherry
Tips
- Muddle the sugar cube fully with the bitters and water before adding ice, or grit lingers at the bottom of the glass.
- Stir gently rather than hard — this is a spirit-forward build, so the goal is a slow chill without over-diluting the bourbon.
- Pre-chill the glass so the strained drink doesn't lose its temperature the moment it hits the glass.
- Express the orange peel's oils over the surface before dropping it in for a brighter aromatic lift.
History
The Old Fashioned – IBA is the International Bartenders Association's codified specification of the classic Old Fashioned, included among the "Unforgettables" on the IBA's official cocktail list, first compiled in 1961 and updated periodically since. As an official spec rather than a distinct invention, it fixes an agreed build for competition and bartending reference rather than introducing a new drink.
A widely repeated club legend ties its direct parent, the Old Fashioned, to the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky, around 1881, with bourbon distiller Colonel James E. Pepper said to have carried the recipe to New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel — though historians note that old-fashioned whiskey cocktails were already circulating decades earlier. The IBA specification follows this same basic structure of muddled sugar, bitters, and whiskey, differing from many pre-Prohibition and modern craft versions mainly in fixing standard proportions and garnish as a single reference recipe for bartenders worldwide.
FAQ
What is a traditional Old Fashioned cocktail?
A traditional Old Fashioned is built by muddling a sugar cube with Angostura bitters and a few dashes of chilled water, then stirring bourbon with ice and straining into a chilled old-fashioned glass, garnished with an orange slice or twist and a maraschino cherry.
What is the original recipe for an Old Fashioned?
The original build dissolves a sugar cube with Angostura bitters and chilled water in an old-fashioned glass, then adds ice and bourbon, stirred gently and strained into a chilled glass, finished with an orange garnish and a cherry.
What is the secret to a good Old Fashioned?
Fully dissolving the sugar cube before adding ice is the key step most people rush — leftover grit or an unbalanced, overly boozy sip is the usual result. Stir gently and just long enough to chill and lightly dilute the bourbon; over-stirring waters it down, while under-stirring leaves it too strong and sharp.
What are common Old Fashioned mistakes?
The most common mistake is not fully muddling the sugar cube, leaving undissolved grains and uneven sweetness at the bottom of the glass. Others include skipping the chilled water dashes that help the sugar dissolve, stirring too briefly, or adding the bourbon before the sugar and bitters are properly mixed.
