Forget Whiskey — Make An Old Fashioned With This Liquor For A Sweeter Sip

Comprising spirits, sugar, water, and bitters, the old fashioned is the quintessential cocktail. Typically, that spirit is rye whiskey. But, one of the signature features of this longstanding cocktail is its lack of dilution. With only a bitters-soaked sugar cube to tame it, this spirit-forward sipper is going to showcase whatever liquor base is used (no significant mixers here). This is why most iconic old fashioned variations experiment with different liquor swaps — such as the Oaxaca old fashioned, which swaps the whiskey for smoky mezcal. Today, we're shining the spotlight on another variation that belongs on brown-liquor-lovers' radars: the brandy old fashioned, an undersung class act.

Brandy is a crucial ingredient in the Wisconsin old fashioned. Also unlike a classic old fashioned, the Wisconsin-style variation adds a splash of lemon-lime soda and seltzer water for a lighter body and effervescent mouthfeel, as well as a fruity muddle of maraschino cherry and fresh orange. But even just replacing whiskey with brandy in a pious old fashioned recipe template makes a big difference in the profile of your slow-sipper. 

Wisconsin's swap to brandy dates back to the 1893 World Fair in Chicago; per the lore, the German immigrants of the Midwest took to California-made brandy over the cocktail's traditional whiskey assemblage. Over a century later, it's easy to see why this flavorful spirits swap has stuck around. Whereas rye whiskey is made from fermented and distilled grain, brandy is made from distilled wine, which is itself made from fermented fruits.

Grapes are most common for mass-produced, big batch brandies, but some are made from apples, pears, or apricots. During the distillation process, brandy gets diluted to a full-proof 40% ABV — packing the same potency as whiskey — and flavored with added sugar and caramel for an expressive, sanguine palate. Compared to whiskey, brandy is a far sweeter, lighter, rounder spirit. In fact, when served on its own, brandy is customarily presented in bell-bottomed snifter glasses to enable maximum aeration of its full aromatic nose, and no ice. Dilution is not necessary to curb any sharp edges with brandy, although "whiskey on the rocks" is a bartop staple. By building a cocktail on this dimensional base spirit, the brandy old fashioned is effectively a smoother, silkier, richer-bodied drink with a more approachable, less sharp profile.

To assemble a brandy old fashioned, saturate a sugar cube (or ½ teaspoon of granulated sugar) with three dashes of Angostura bitters in the bottom of a rocks glass, muddling to mix. Then, add 2 ounces of brandy on top, fill the glass to the brim with ice, and stir to combine. That's it. In a classic old fashioned finish, garnish with a skewered orange slice and a brandied or Luxardo cherry. For some extra-dimensional counterbalance, feel free to play around with different flavors of bitters, as well. Orange or even chocolate bitters would complement that naturally sweet brandy.