Have you heard of cocktail foam? If you haven’t, it’s about time to add this to your mixology knowledge! Today, we’re making an Old Fashioned fit for St. Patrick’s Day, made with Irish whiskey and an orange-flavored foam!
Call me Old Fashioned
An Old Fashioned is a classic cocktail that is made by muddling sugar with bitters (you can also use regular simple syrup and add the bitters later!), then adding whiskey (usually bourbon or rye) and a twist of citrus rind. The drink is typically served over ice in a short, round glass, often called an Old Fashioned glass. It is then garnished with a twist of citrus rind or a cherry. The Old Fashioned is known for its simplicity and the rich, complex flavors that come from the combination of sugar, bitters, and whiskey.
Why is the Old Fashioned so popular?
The Old Fashioned cocktail has been around since the early 19th century, but it started to gain widespread popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During this time, cocktails became increasingly popular in America, and the Old Fashioned, with its simple yet flavorful combination of ingredients, became a favorite among drinkers.
The Old Fashioneds popularity continued through the mid-20th century, but it experienced a decline during the latter half of the century as more complex and colorful cocktails became fashionable. However, in recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in classic cocktails, including the Old Fashioned, as drinkers rediscover the appeal of simple, well-crafted drinks with a rich history.
- Classic Appeal: It is a cocktail with a long history, dating back to the early 19th century. Its simplicity and timeless appeal have helped it endure and become a classic.
- Versatility: The basic recipe of the Old Fashioned lends itself well to experimentation and customization. It can be made with different types of whiskey, sugars, bitters, and garnishes, allowing bartenders and home enthusiasts to put their own spin on it.
- Balanced Flavor: The combination of sugar, bitters, and whiskey creates a well-balanced flavor profile that is both complex and satisfying. The sweetness of the sugar is balanced by the bitterness of the bitters and the richness of the whiskey.
- Cultural Significance: The Old Fashioned has become more than just a cocktail; it is a cultural icon that is often associated with sophistication and the “good old days.” Its popularity has been further boosted by its frequent appearance in popular culture, including movies, TV shows, and literature.
- Accessibility: Despite its long history and sophisticated image, the Old Fashioned is relatively simple to make and requires only a few ingredients, making it accessible to both professional bartenders and home mixologists.
Irish Old Fashioned
Since an Old Fashioned has very simple ingredients, it’s very easy to make subtle twists on the Old Fashioned through different flavors of simple syrup or using different spirits. We made an “old-loha fashioned” last year that takes the same approach as an Old Fashioned, but with an Island twist! The twist on the Irish Old Fashioned will be through the spirit and the introduction of a cocktail foam!
For this Old Fashioned, I am really twisting it up!
Let’s start with the base of whiskey. To make it an Irish Old Fashioned, start with an Irish whiskey of your choice. Irish whiskey is a type of whiskey that is distilled and produced in Ireland. It is typically made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley and aged in wooden casks for a period of time, often several years. Irish whiskey is known for its smooth and approachable flavor profile, which is the result of the triple distillation process used by many Irish whiskey producers. This process is believed to create a smoother and more refined spirit compared to the double distillation process used in other types of whiskey, such as Scotch whisky.
Here are some options for Irish whiskey you can pick from: Jameson, Redbreast, Green Spot, Tullamore Dew, and Four Walls! There are many others to pick from, so do your research and pick your favorite!
Next, we’re keeping the simple syrup, well, simple by just using a classic cane sugar simple syrup! We’re also keeping the bitters the same with Angostura Bitters. Angostura bitters are made from a closely guarded recipe of botanicals, including gentian, cinnamon, and other aromatic herbs and spices.
Now, the fun part! Old Fashioneds typically have an orange element by expressing an orange twist which is just the rind of an orange, twisted and squeezed into the cocktail!
To add the orange element, we’re making…an orange cocktail foam!
What is a Cocktail Foam?
Cocktail foam is a frothy layer on top of some cocktails. It’s made by mixing certain ingredients (like egg whites or aquafaba) in a way that creates bubbles. This foam adds texture and looks nice in the drink.
The foam can be added through shaking an egg white with a cocktail like in a whiskey sour, but the more fun and scientific way is to use a whipped cream dispenser and nitrogen cartridges.
Inside your whipped cream dispenser, add egg whites, lemon juice and simple syrup, and finally your flavoring of choice from juices, liquors or cordials! We’re adding orange juice to the mixture of egg whites, lemon juice, and simple syrup to bring in the orange flavor!
