Wisconsin-Style Old Fashioned Recipe

There are drinks you sip once and yearn to try again. Then there are those drinks that are bona fide classics, found on menus from weddings to neighborhood bars. And some drinks are riffs on a classic that are so unique, yet so simple, that you find yourself wondering, "How have I not thought of this sooner?" This Wisconsin-style old-fashioned cocktail is a bit of the first, a touch of the second, and wholly, completely in the realm of the third.

According to Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table, a good old fashioned stays with you long after the taste of the bitter-soaked sugar cube fades. This drink gets the elusive balance of sweet, sour, and alcohol-forward just right, and it becomes an instant favorite of many. So what makes a Wisconsin-style old fashioned special?

The Wisconsin take on the old fashioned takes the brandy-focused original, and makes it lighter, sweeter, and more effervescent. This version of the cocktail calls for a mix of lemon-lime soda like Sprite or 7UP, which it mixes in equal proportion with seltzer. A bit of orange, a touch of maraschino cherry, and you've got yourself a drink that feels like it was meant to be.

To make this rendition of the classic old fashioned, you'll need a sugar cube, Angostura bitters, maraschino cherries and their syrup, ice, the brandy of your choice, your favorite lemon-lime soda, seltzer water, and an orange slice and peel. If you want to change up the Angostura bitters, one of mixology's most basic ingredients, for something else, go for a bitter that pairs well with bourbon or other brown spirits, like cherry bitters, which echo the notes of the maraschino.

In a rocks glass, muddle the orange slice, sugar cube, bitters, and cherry syrup for 30 seconds until the sugar dissolves.

Remove the orange slice.

Fill the glass with ice.

Add the brandy and stir.

Top with equal parts Sprite and seltzer. Stir gently.

Garnish with a maraschino cherry and an orange peel.

Serve the old fashioned.

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The classic old fashioned has been around for a while. In fact, its name was likely a misnomer of the kind of cocktail that cocktail purists in the mid-19th century would demand of their bartender. Amidst all the newfangled bitters and liqueurs of the-then modern era, many bar goers would have likely just asked for an "old fashioned cocktail" — a classic blend of spirits with sugar, bitters, and water for dilution.

So what's in a Wisconsin old-fashioned? This famous variation may seem like a new invention, but it's been around just as long as the original — since the turn of the 19th century, in fact. It snubs the bourbon, or American whiskey, which is the focal point of the old fashioned, and replaces it with brandy. This is likely attributed to the state's large German population, who would have preferred this digestif.

From there, the Wisconsin old fashioned can take a few forms. The "sweet" version uses lemon lime soda, the "sour" uses sour mix, and our preferred variation is the "press," which opts for a mix of both lemon-lime soda and seltzer water. The garnishes can also vary, from pickles inspired by the German population of the state to the more typical orange and cherry combo that we know and love.

As we mentioned, there are different takes on the beloved Winsconsite variation of the old fashioned. But we can think of a few others that go even further. One variation we love is to make a homemade sour mix to add to the drink. This can be done by combining fresh lemon and lime juices with simple syrup in a 1:1:½ ratio. You can even add some additional flavors to the simple syrup that may depend on your choice of garnish or your preferred brandy. Adding fresh ginger or a cinnamon stick to the syrup while it cooks can help infuse it with a unique scent and flavor.

For the brandy, you can go with a lighter VS cognac, which will cost a bit less and is typically what people use for mixing. But if you want to do the brandy justice, opt for a rich VSOP variety, or even an exquisite Armagnac brandy that is made with multiple grape varieties and aged to perfection in French oak barrels. For the garnish, try the peel of a grapefruit or add a splash of cherry juice to amp up that flavor profile.

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