Canadian Old Fashioned

A Canadian Old Fashioned is hands down my favorite drink. I can put these down like no other, any occasion, any day of the week. The one drawback to loving this drink is that I can never find a bartender that can make it, let alone know what goes into one, so usually, I’m making this when we’re home.

Now, of course, anyone who knows an Old Fashioned will say it’s typically made with bourbon or a rye whiskey, but Crown Royal is hands down my favorite whiskey so I take every opportunity to mix with it…hence the Canadian Old Fashioned.

The construction of the drink is pretty simple. You’ll need a sugar cube or superfine sugar. Some people use simple syrup, so that is an option if you prefer it. The next key ingredient is the bitters, of course, the classic, Angostura Aromatic Bitters. I like to saturate the sugar cube with three to four dashes of the bitters, although one or two is the norm and will work if you prefer less of the flavor from the bitters. Next, you muddle the saturated cube to break down the sugar, I like to add the smallest splash of water just to make this process easier.

With the sugar broken down, I then add ice. I like to use either large ice spheres or large cubes. The larger the ice the slower it’ll melt, lessening the speed at which your drink waters down. Then pour your whiskey over the ice and stir well.

When your drink is nice and stirred, it’s time for the Garnish. I like to Garnish with a cherry, it makes for a good treat when the drink is done! Another ingredient that I think really makes the drink is the orange peel to Garnish. I take a long healthy strip of orange peel, pinch together in my fingers, rim the glass and drop it in. All of the flavors come together so well and catching the hints of orange make a big difference.

Let me know what you think, especially if you have any variations of an Old Fashioned you like better. On that note as well, I have maybe had one or two Old Fashioneds made with Bourbon. My first inclination is to try one with Bulleit Bourbon, what’s your favorite whiskey?

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Canadian Old Fashioned

Ingredients

• 2 Oz Crown Royal
• 1 Sugar Cube
• 2 Dashes Bitters
• Splash Water
• Cherry to garnish
• Orange Peel to garnish

Instructions

• Place your sugar cube in your rocks glass and apply a couple dashes of bitters
• I like to add just a splash of water
• Muddle
• Add Ice
• Top with Crown and stir thoroughly to mix in the sugar
• Garnish with Cherries and/or orange peel