The Old Fashioned

A complete history of one of the world's most iconic cocktails, now the poster child of the modern cocktail revival, with recipes for classic variations as well as contemporary updates. No single cocktail is as iconic, as beloved, or as discussed and fought over as the Old-Fashioned. Its formula is simple: just whiskey, bitters, sugar, and ice. But how you combine those ingredients—in what proportion, using which brands, and with what kind of garnish—is the subject of much impassioned debate.

The Old-Fashioned is the spirited, delightfully unexpected story of this renowned and essential drink: its birth as the ur-cocktail in the nineteenth century, darker days in the throes of Prohibition, re-ascension in the 1950s and 1960s, and renaissance as the star of the contemporary craft cocktail movement. With its rich history, stunning photography, and more than forty recipes from top bartenders around the country, it is a necessary addition to any true whiskey—or cocktail—lover’s bookshelf.