A good old-fashioned is among the best classic cocktails you can imbibe for a couple of reasons. For one, it only requires a few ingredients — bourbon, sugar, and bitters — to make the most basic, but still the best, old-fashioned you’ll ever have. An orange peel and a cherry garnish add even more depth and a little extra elegance. Because of this standard formula, the old-fashioned also remains relatively consistent, whether you’re making one at home or ordering at a bar. So it’s always a go-to for those who prefer familiarity. But you can also shake things up a bit (although not literally: old-fashioned is stirred, not shaken) with spirit swaps.
A traditional old-fashioned is a little sweet, a little warming, and certainly imbued with bourbon’s unique notes, which may skew more toward caramel and vanilla or swing toward sensations from the spice rack. Using tequila or mezcal, instead, sends it careening into a totally different flavor profile. A tequila old-fashioned can taste herbaceous, fruity, or somewhat fiery, depending on the booze you choose. A mezcal old-fashioned will bring its liquor’s signature smokiness to the glass in a flash.
Making old-fashioned adaptations at home
You can use the same proportions of tequila or mezcal in your old-fashioned iterations as you would in your standard bourbon measure, which is to say two ounces of either. When using tequila, which can be sweet enough on its own, taste it first to see if you’d rather omit the additional sugar in the drink. You can do the same with the mezcal, but its qualities are more likely to balance better with an extra pinch or two of sugar. Add the bitters a dash at a time to find your preferred ratio. And definitely get creative with the garnishes.
The standard cherry and orange can be delightful with a tequila or a mezcal old-fashioned, but so too can other fruits. Lime is the obvious contender in either case. Grilled pineapple is also known to be a terrific garnish for a tequila cocktail, and mezcal is another excellent candidate for the tingly fruit. Or, you can certainly stay closer to the citrus family with a grapefruit wheel or wedge — there are so many possibilities.
