A Jigger of Blog

Derek Brown has a post up on The Atlantic’s Mixmaster blog on the origins of the cocktail (in print) and his recipe for an Old Fashioned.

Derek Brown’s Old Fashioned

2 oz. Rye Whiskey
¼ – ½ oz. Simple Syrup (equal parts water and sugar)
Two dashes Aromatic Bitters
2″ Lemon Peel

Muddle gently lemon, syrup and bitters at the bottom of a rocks glass. Add ice cubes and stir until cooled.

This is pretty much my preferred Old Fashioned as well. I almost always use about 1/2 an ounce of simple syrup, though I’ll often use bourbon as the base. Lately I’ve also been doing a lot of rum old fashioneds as well, usually with maple syrup as a sweetener.