Old Fashioned Cocktail Recipes
Old Fashioned recipes,
ten ways.
These ten Old Fashioned recipes all start with one packet of Still Branch Old Fashioned Cocktail Mixer Syrup, the shortcut to a properly built drink. Pour it over ice with whiskey, brandy, cognac, rum, tequila, or a long-steeped cup of Darjeeling, stir for 30 seconds, and enjoy.
No refrigeration. Fits in a pocket. Bar-quality anywhere you are.
SIP Awards Platinum 2024 · Proof Awards Double Gold 2023
Old Fashioned recipes by spirit
All ten Old Fashioned recipes below use the same 30-second build: one Still Branch packet, your spirit of choice, ice, and a citrus garnish. Pick a base and follow the steps. The technique note applies to every one of these Old Fashioned recipes.
Technique Note · Applies to Every Recipe
Pre-chill before the big cube. Stir your cocktail with 2 to 3 regular ice cubes for 30 seconds. Pull them out, then add the large clear cube. It will melt more slowly and crack less from the temperature shock.
Still Branch Whiskey Old Fashioned
The original. Whiskey, bitters, sugar, citrus oil, and time on ice. The drink the whole brand is built around. No pressure.
Ingredients
- 2 oz whisk(e)y of your choice
- 1 packet Still Branch Old Fashioned Cocktail Mixer Syrup
- 8 to 10 clear ice cubes (or 1 large clear cube)
- 1 orange peel garnish (optional)
Prepare
- Chill the glass.
- Optional: cut a 3-inch strip of orange peel with a Y-peeler and trim the edges with a paring knife to form a clean rectangle.
Assemble
- Add whiskey and Still Branch mixer to the chilled glass. Stir for a few seconds.
- Add the ice and stir for a full 30 seconds. Trust us, it's worth it.
Garnish
If using the orange peel, express the oils by pinching the peel over the glass, rub it along the rim, then drop it into the cocktail.
Still Branch French Old Fashioned
Cognac in place of whiskey. Bitters, sugar, citrus oil, and time on ice. Et Voilà.
Ingredients
- 2 oz cognac
- 1 packet Still Branch Old Fashioned Cocktail Mixer Syrup
- 8 to 10 clear ice cubes (or 1 large clear cube)
- 1 orange peel garnish
Prepare
- Chill the glass.
- Cut a 3-inch strip of orange peel with a Y-peeler and trim the edges with a paring knife to form a clean rectangle.
Assemble
- Add cognac and Still Branch mixer to the chilled glass. Stir for a few seconds.
- Add the ice and stir for a full 30 seconds.
Garnish
Express the orange peel oils by pinching the peel over the glass, rub it along the rim, then drop it into the cocktail.
Still Branch Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet
Wisconsin's house cocktail. Brandy, soda, cherries, and a tradition worth keeping.
Ingredients
- 2 oz brandy of your choice
- 1 packet Still Branch Old Fashioned Cocktail Mixer Syrup
- 8 to 10 clear ice cubes (or 1 large clear cube)
- 1 orange peel garnish
- 2 Luxardo cherries
- 2 oz lemon-lime soda
Prepare
- Chill the glass.
- Cut a 3-inch strip of orange peel with a Y-peeler and trim into a clean rectangle.
- Have your Luxardo cherries and lemon-lime soda (7Up or Sprite) ready.
Assemble
- Add brandy and Still Branch mixer to the chilled glass. Stir for a few seconds.
- Add the ice and stir for 30 seconds.
- Top with the lemon-lime soda and stir for 5 seconds.
Garnish
Express the orange peel oils over the glass, rub the rim, then drop the peel in. Finish with 2 Luxardo cherries.
VARIATIONS
Sour. Top with sour mix or a splash of grapefruit soda (Squirt).
Press. Split the topper, half club soda and half lemon-lime soda.
Still Branch Oaxaca Old Fashioned
A riff on Phil Ward's 2007 build at Death & Co. in NYC. Aged tequila meets a curl of mezcal smoke from Oaxaca (wa-HAH-kah), Mexico, its home state. Two blue agave spirits, sun-warmed and earthy, with a little fire kept in.
Ingredients
- 2 oz reposado tequila
- 0.5 oz mezcal
- 1 packet Still Branch Old Fashioned Cocktail Mixer Syrup
- 8 to 10 clear ice cubes (or 1 large clear cube)
- 1 orange peel garnish
Prepare
- Chill the glass.
- Cut a 3-inch strip of orange peel with a Y-peeler and trim the edges with a paring knife to form a clean rectangle.
Assemble
- Add tequila, mezcal, and Still Branch mixer to the chilled glass. Stir for a few seconds.
- Add the ice and stir for a full 30 seconds.
Garnish
Express the orange peel oils by pinching the peel over the glass, rub it along the rim, then drop it into the cocktail.
Still Branch Bajan Rum Old Fashioned
A salute to Barbados, the birthplace of rum. Bajan (BAY-juhn) is what locals call themselves. Their signature spirit, in Old Fashioned form, with an optional kick of falernum.
Ingredients
- 2 oz aged Barbados dark rum (such as Mount Gay, Foursquare, or Doorly's)
- 0.5 oz Velvet Falernum (optional but recommended, adds Bajan spice)
- 1 packet Still Branch Old Fashioned Cocktail Mixer Syrup
- 8 to 10 clear ice cubes (or 1 large clear cube)
- 1 lime coin garnish
Prepare
- Chill the glass.
- Cut the lime coin by placing the lime stem-side up on a cutting board. Slice off 1/3 of the lime vertically from top to bottom. The result is a thick coin with rounded peel on one side and a straight cut of pulp on the other. One lime yields 2 coins.
Assemble
- Add the dark rum, Velvet Falernum (if using), and Still Branch mixer to the chilled glass. Stir for a few seconds.
- Add the ice and stir for a full 30 seconds.
Garnish
Express the oil and juice from the lime coin by pinching the peel over the glass, rub it along the rim, then drop it into the cocktail.
Still Branch New York Old Fashioned
A pre-Prohibition split from Manhattan bartenders who refused to choose between rye and cognac. They had a point.
Ingredients
- 1 oz rye whiskey
- 1 oz cognac
- 1 packet Still Branch Old Fashioned Cocktail Mixer Syrup
- 8 to 10 clear ice cubes (or 1 large clear cube)
- 1 lemon peel garnish
Prepare
- Chill the glass.
- Cut a 3-inch strip of lemon peel with a Y-peeler and trim the edges with a paring knife to form a clean rectangle.
Assemble
- Add rye, cognac, and Still Branch mixer to the chilled glass. Stir for a few seconds.
- Add the ice and stir for a full 30 seconds.
Garnish
Express the lemon oils by pinching the peel over the glass, rub it along the rim, then drop it into the cocktail.
VARIATIONS
Improved New York Cocktail (a riff on Dan Greenbaum's 2016 build at Attaboy in NYC). Add 1/4 oz maraschino liqueur and 1/8 oz absinthe along with the rye and cognac. Stir, ice, and garnish the same way.
Still Branch Camino Pilar Old Fashioned
An Old Fashioned that spent a winter in Andalusia. Spanish Jerez brings raisin and fig; Oloroso pulls it from dessert toward dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 oz aged Spanish Jerez brandy (such as Cardenal Mendoza or Gran Duque de Alba)
- 0.5 oz Oloroso sherry (optional, but traditional)
- 1 packet Still Branch Old Fashioned Cocktail Mixer Syrup
- 8 to 10 clear ice cubes (or 1 large clear cube)
- 1 orange peel garnish
Prepare
- Chill the glass.
- Cut a 3-inch strip of orange peel with a Y-peeler and trim the edges with a paring knife to form a clean rectangle.
Assemble
- Add brandy, sherry (if using), and Still Branch mixer to the chilled glass. Stir for a few seconds.
- Add the ice and stir for a full 30 seconds.
Garnish
Express the orange peel oils by pinching the peel over the glass, rub it along the rim, then drop it into the cocktail.
Still Branch Mardi Gras Old Fashioned
Irvin S. Cobb's 1936 toast to Mardi Gras. A Kentucky humorist's salute from one bourbon to another.
Ingredients
- 2 oz rye whiskey
- 1/8 oz absinthe
- 1 packet Still Branch Old Fashioned Cocktail Mixer Syrup
- 8 to 10 clear ice cubes (or 1 large clear cube)
- 1 lemon peel garnish
Prepare
- Chill the glass.
- Cut a 3-inch strip of lemon peel with a Y-peeler and trim the edges with a paring knife to form a clean rectangle.
Assemble
- Add rye, absinthe, and Still Branch mixer to the chilled glass. Stir for a few seconds.
- Add the ice and stir for a full 30 seconds.
Garnish
Express the lemon oils by pinching the peel over the glass, rub it along the rim, then drop it into the cocktail.
Still Branch Choker Old Fashioned
A riff from the 1947 Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide. Blended scotch, a touch of Pernod, and Old Fashioned bones. Converting scotch skeptics since 1947.
Ingredients
- 2 oz blended malt scotch whisky
- 1/8 oz Pernod
- 1 packet Still Branch Old Fashioned Cocktail Mixer Syrup
- 8 to 10 clear ice cubes (or 1 large clear cube)
- 1 lemon peel garnish
Prepare
- Chill the glass.
- Cut a 3-inch strip of lemon peel with a Y-peeler and trim the edges with a paring knife to form a clean rectangle.
Assemble
- Add whisky, Pernod, and Still Branch mixer to the chilled glass. Stir for a few seconds.
- Add the ice and stir for a full 30 seconds.
Garnish
Express the lemon oils by pinching the peel over the glass, rub it along the rim, then drop it into the cocktail.
Still Branch Darjeeling Old Fashioned Mocktail
The same architecture, built on long-steeped tea. Floral, structured, all of the ritual, almost none of the proof.
Ingredients
- 3 oz Darjeeling tea (one bag long-steeped 5 minutes in 3 oz hot water)
- 1 packet Still Branch Old Fashioned Cocktail Mixer Syrup
- 8 to 10 clear ice cubes (or 1 large clear cube)
- 1 orange peel garnish (optional)
Prepare
- Steep the Darjeeling tea bag for a full 5 minutes in 3 oz of hot water.
- Optional: cut and trim an orange peel into a clean rectangle.
Assemble
- Add the Darjeeling tea and Still Branch mixer to the glass. Stir for a few seconds.
- Add the ice and stir for 30 seconds.
Garnish
If using the orange peel, express the oils, rub the rim, and drop it in.
Still Branch uses real bitters and orange extract, which contain trace alcohol similar to vanilla extract. The finished drink is very low ABV. If zero alcohol is the goal, reach for the tea on its own.
The Old Fashioned Cocktail 10 Ways
All ten Old Fashioned recipes in one ebook, formatted to keep at your bar or take on the road. Drop your email and we'll send it over.
Ten Old Fashioned recipes, one packet. Real bitters, real ritual, and four minutes you didn't have to spend.