The Old Fashioned perfectly typifies the essence of the cocktail. It's made up of four simple ingredients which have been around since the invention of the cocktail: spirits, bitters, water and sugar. This recipe uses bourbon, whose natural notes of brown sugar, molasses, oak and honey make this drink all the better; perfect for any occasion.
![An Old Fashioned cocktail on a wood table](https://img.ehowcdn.com/375/ppds/c6ab288d-d414-419d-bf6b-7b40c2241bd3.png)
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Things You'll Need
8–12 fl oz glass
Angostura bitters
1 orange
Y-peeler or pairing knife
Muddler
1/2–1 teaspoon simple syrup, to taste
1 large ice cube, or sphere
2 fl oz bourbon
Small spoon
Step 1
Add 3–5 dashes of angostura bitters to the glass.
![Adding bitters to the empty glass](https://img.ehowcdn.com/375/ppds/910d0c83-f786-49c6-92d9-0a3428776b5f.png)
Step 2
Using either a Y-peeler or a paring knife, peel off a thin layer of the orange's skin that's about 1 inch wide by 3 inches long. Place the peel in the glass with the skin side facing down.
![Adding orange peel to the glass](https://img.ehowcdn.com/375/ppds/9f0e47d3-f146-41cc-b292-908fb8811418.png)
Tip
Be sure to avoid as much of the pith as possible when peeling the orange. The pith can make the drink taste bitter, so peel carefully.
Step 3
With a muddler, muddle the orange peel with the bitters a few times.
![Muddling the orange peel and the bitters](https://img.ehowcdn.com/375/ppds/4adb48be-2a99-4849-b38a-879adc46c2b7.png)
Step 4
Next, add in 1/2 teaspoon of the simple syrup. If a sweeter drink is preferred, add another 1/2 teaspoon of the simple syrup.
![Pouring the simple syrup into the glass](https://img.ehowcdn.com/375/ppds/679393c4-27c9-4f9d-8eff-3aefac3aadc3.png)
Step 5
Place the ice cube in the glass.
![Adding an ice cube to the glass](https://img.ehowcdn.com/375/ppds/758007ba-66f6-47a6-97e9-ea090d9f0e4c.png)
Tip
The larger the cube (or sphere) of ice the better, as you want to avoid dilution.
Step 6
Finally, pour the 2 ounces of bourbon over the ice. Give your glass a few stirs with a spoon to properly mix, and enjoy!
![Adding the bourbon to the glass](https://img.ehowcdn.com/375/ppds/b8b046d9-4d77-4231-a49f-9033af5f5839.png)
![A freshly mixed Old Fashioned cocktail](https://img.ehowcdn.com/375/ppds/cfcbed4b-18a9-4c5a-a7b3-2f96615da947.png)