Rum Old Fashioned

How to Make a
Rum Old Fashioned

Which rum is best for a Rum Old Fashioned?

The best rum for a Rum Old Fashioned is generally an aged rum that you might consider sipping neat or over ice. Depending on the style of cocktail you want to create, any of the Dos Maderas line will work well. The addition of bitters and syrup help get the stomach juices flowing and therefore this cocktail helps serve as an apéritif or a digestif.

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About Dos Maderas Selección

Dos Maderas Selección is triple cask aged blended rum that is finished in PX barrels and specially bottled at a higher proof. It has a darker edge with chocolate notes and more pronounced baking spices.

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About Dos Maderas Selección

Dos Maderas Selección is triple cask aged blended rum that is finished in PX barrels and specially bottled at a higher proof. It has a darker edge with chocolate notes and more pronounced baking spices.

Ingredients to make a Classic Rum Old Fashioned

2 oz. Dos Maderas Selección Rum

.25 oz. Rich Simple Syrup (2:1)

2 dashes of Aromatic bitters (like Angostura)

2 dashes of Orange bitters (like Bitter Truth)

Rum Old Fashioned Recipe - Step by step how to prepare a Classic Rum Old Fashioned

1.

Prepare your Rich Simple Syrup by dissolving 2 parts cane sugar into 1 part boiling water. Let cool.

2.

Chill a Rocks glass

3.

Add all ingredients to your Mixing Glass

4.

Fill with cracked ice

5.

Stir with a long barspoon for 10 seconds

6.

Strain into your chilled glass over 1 large piece of ice

7.

Garnish with an orange peel, oils expressed over your drink at a 45 degree angle

The story of the Rum Old Fashioned

You know how you can tell the Old Fashioned is old? An editor at the New York newspaper “The Balance and Columbian Repository” is our earliest written record of defining the term cocktail: “Cock tail, then is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters.” This was printed on May 13th, 1806. If that sounds familiar, then you’ve come to the right place. It’s a brilliant simple combination that has seen centuries of change and somehow still weathered it all to be a stalwart force behind every cocktail bar. The Classic Old-Fashioned drink is made with Whiskey at its base and is the most ordered cocktail in the world, especially following the Mad Men craze of a decade or so ago. While not a new trend, the popularity of a Rum Old Fashioned cocktail has grown immensely in the past decade. Trader Vic mentions the recipe in his 1947 Bartender Guide and a version of this drink also splashes the 1930’s Bar Florida guide. Essentially, when rum joined the cocktail world, so did the Rum Old Fashioned mixed drink in one form or another. The possibilities are endless as we explore cask aged nuance in this archetypal category.

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Tips for a Classic Rum Old Fashioned Cocktail

Tip 1: A good Old Fashioned is only as good as the base spirit so don’t be shy about using some of your nicer inventory for this cocktail.

Tip 2: When preparing your Rich Simple syrup, try adding a tsp. of lemon zest to brighten it up.

Tip 3: A proper Rum Old Fashioned is designed to be simple and elegant. No need to muddle any cherries or oranges into your cocktail. If incorporated, use them as an additional garnish.

Tips for a Classic Rum Old Fashioned Cocktail

Tip 1: A good Old Fashioned is only as good as the base spirit so don’t be shy about using some of your nicer inventory for this cocktail.

Tip 2: When preparing your Rich Simple syrup, try adding a tsp. of lemon zest to brighten it up.

Tip 3: A proper Rum Old Fashioned is designed to be simple and elegant. No need to muddle any cherries or oranges into your cocktail. If incorporated, use them as an additional garnish.

Rum Old Fashioned Variations and types

The most common riffs on a Rum Old Fashioned involve subbing in a different type of Bitters like Chocolate, Black Walnut or Habañero or a combination of multiple options. Other typical variations involve adjusting the sugar to a Demerara syrup or making an equal parts syrup rather than the more potent Rich (2:1) version or using alternative sweeteners like Maple or Honey. And of course, the most well loved of riffs involves smoking your Rocks glass for that heavenly savory aroma.

Bartender Jonathan Lam adds a touch of Laphroaig 10 yr. Scotch for a peaty edge and subs in a banana syrup and root beer bitters for this variant.

Bartender Natasha Bermudez incorporates a mulit-faceted approach with the combination of Amontillado Sherry, Whisky and Rum as well as adding a tropical edge with banana and pineapple liqueurs subbing for the sweetener.

Bartender Sandy De Almeida offers this nuanced twist that includes extra bitter elements like Campari, Averna and Peychaud’s bitters as well as smoky Mezcal.

FAQ

The United States celebrates National Old Fashioned Day annually on June 14th. There is also a World Old Fashioned Week celebrated during the first week of November.

Generally speaking, the best rums for an Old Fashioned have barrel character and mix well with Aromatic and spice laden bitters. White Rums usually clash with this combination and their lack of barrel aging makes them a touch more harsh to sip without other mixers. However, if you happen to love sipping a particular lighter bodied rum, you can experiment with lighter bitters options like lemon, orange, grapefruit, chamomile-lavender and so on.

The best glassware is a Rocks glass which is also known as an Old Fashioned glass.

Demerara sugar is partially refined raw cane sugar with a crunchy texture and brownish hue and earns its name from the Demerara region of Guyana although it is produced in other regions as well. If you can’t find it in stores, Turbinado sugar is the best substitute followed by a light brown sugar. Brown sugar in general is molasses flavored processed sugar.

While the first written definition of the term cocktail is documented in 1802 and essentially describes the Old Fashioned, the term “Old Fashioned” appears to have first been claimed in 1881 at the Pendennis Club of Louisville, Kentucky and is purported to have been created for distiller Colonel James E. Pepper by a barman working there. This naturally, would make the term more practical having existed in structure for at least 80 years at the time. The first Rum Old Fashioned riff is unknown.

Cocktails with Dos Maderas Selección

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