Made with your favorite Irish whiskey and a hint of orange bitters, an Irish Old-Fashioned is a delightful spin on the classic cocktail. Try it for St. Patrick’s Day or any time you’re craving a crisp and clean-tasting old-fashioned.
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Irish Old-Fashioned recipe
Bourbon is great and all, but Irish whiskey makes for a delicious addition to cocktails.
It has a cleaner, slightly sweeter flavor and is an easy sipper.
That makes it the perfect contender for an old-fashioned. This Irish old-fashioned recipe is just that: a more crushable, easy sipper. That’s saying a lot for this spirit-forward cocktail!
If you’re new to Irish whiskey, this cocktail is the perfect way to try it. I have a feeling you’ll be a convert in no time!
More St. Patrick’s Day cocktails: Green Beer • Baby Guinness • Black Velvet • Beermosa
Why you’ll love this recipe
Irish whiskey makes for the perfect addition to the classic old-fashioned
- An easy sipper, Irish whiskey is a great substitute for the usual bourbon.
- The Irish whiskey old-fashioned is a great
drink for St. Patrick’s Day or anytime! - With hints of orange flavor, this cocktail also gives a nod to the Irish flag.
What is an old-fashioned cocktail?
The old-fashioned drink is a classic cocktail that can be made with any type of whiskey — usually bourbon — or even another strong spirit like mezcal or aged rum.
For example, this Irish old-fashioned is made with Irish whiskey!
Old-fashioned cocktails are spirit-forward, meaning they are heavy on the alcohol. They shouldn’t have any mixers like sour mix or soda.
(Though there is such a thing called a Wisconsin old-fashioned, which does contain club soda.
Old-fashioneds include subtle amounts of additional flavor, usually in the form of orange zest, a cocktail cherry, some kind of bitters and a sweetener such as a sugar cube or simple syrup.
Tools & glassware
For an old-fashioned, you don’t need a lot of special equipment.
However, it’s wise to plan ahead and freeze up a big ice cube. You can also make ice spheres. I always try to keep a tray of these going in the fridge!
Large ice cubes are great for spirit-forward drinks because the large surface area takes longer to melt, resulting in a slower dilution process as you sip. In other words, it takes longer for the ice to dilute so you can enjoy your
favorite rocks glasses
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Buy Now → Rocks glasses are the typical glassware used for old-fashioned drinks. Also known as old-fashioned glasses and lowball glasses, they are short, tumbler-style glasses for serving spirits.
If you don’t have a rocks glass, you can use any kind of short tumbler or a stemless wine glass.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make a Jameson Old-Fashioned:
Irish whiskey
Irish whiskey is a type of whiskey that’s made in Ireland from unmalted barley and cereal grains. It is different than bourbon and scotch thanks to its country of origin, ingredients and distillation method.
Irish whiskey has a clean and smooth flavor — much more so than its complex and smoky Scottish counterpart, AKA Scotch whisky.
If you have a favorite Irish whiskey, use that! An old-fashioned with Jameson Irish whiskey is usually my go-to. If you want some extra orange flavor, try it with Jameson Orange. The Jameson cold brew would give it a bit of a coffee flavor.
The most popular Irish whiskey brands are Jameson, Bushmills and Tullamore Dew, but there are lots more Irish distilleries to try! Check out my Irish Whiskey 101 guide if you need help picking a brand to buy.
Brown sugar simple syrup
Brown sugar syrup brings the sweet, caramel, butterscotch notes of brown sugar to this cocktail. It’s easy to make with just equal parts of brown sugar and water heated in a saucepan.
Muddling a brown sugar cube into the whiskey would also work.
Demerara syrup would be a good substitute. You could also use plain simple syrup, agave nectar, honey or maple syrup instead.
Bitters
Use orange bitters to give this a citrus bite. It helps to balance the sweetness of the Irish whiskey.
The use of orange is also a nod to the Irish flag, which features three stripes of green, white and orange.
If you don’t have orange bitters, you can use angostura bitters or experiment with other flavors of bitters if you like.
Orange zest
Old-fashioneds often include a piece of orange zest for their garnish.
But garnishes aren’t just for looks: The sour, bitter flavor of the zest and the citrus aroma from the orange essential oils help to balance the sweetness of the brown sugar syrup and the whiskey.
Use a
Gently twist it and rub it around the edge of the glass before dropping it in to release more of the oils into your
How to make a Jameson Old-Fashioned
Let’s make this Jameson cocktail!
In a mixing glass, combine whiskey and brown sugar simple syrup. Next, add a large ice cube to a rocks glass, and pour the whiskey over top.
You can also mix them right in your rocks glass, but be careful when dropping the ice cube in so as not to splash.
Add few dashes of orange bitters, then garnish with a piece of orange peel.
Tips & tricks
Make a batch of large ice cubes or ice spheres the day before (or keep a stash in your freezer). The large surface area means it melts more slowly than a bunch of tiny ice cubes.
If you want a little green in your cocktail, try making herb ice cubes to represent the Emerald Isle. You could also use a piece of lime zest, which will bring in a subtle flavor or lime juice.
Use a mixing glass to combine the whiskey and syrup together. Then slowly pour them just to the side of your ice cube in your glass, so as not to melt the ice.
Before adding it to your
What to serve with Irish whiskey cocktails
There are lots of great Irish treats to try with this Jameson Old-Fashioned
It’s great to enjoy with an Irish dinner of Shepherd’s Pie or Corned Beef and Cabbage.
A Guinness chocolate cake is the perfect dessert. With a dollop of Baileys Irish cream, of course!
Or make Baileys chocolate chip cookies for an indulgent treat.
FAQ
An old-fashioned with Irish whiskey can be made with any brand of Irish whiskey. The most popular Irish whiskey brands are Jameson, Bushmills and Tullamore Dew.
Jameson is a type of Irish whiskey, which is a type of whiskey. Similarly, bourbon is also a type of whiskey. Irish whiskey has a cleaner, less smoky taste, and must be produced in Ireland. Bourbon, an American whiskey, has a slightly sweeter flavor.
Bourbon is most often used in an old-fashioned but other types of whiskey can be used. Try an old-fashioned with rye whiskey, Japanese whisky, Scotch whisky or Irish whiskey to sample the differences in whiskey based on how and where it is made.
More Irish whiskey cocktail recipes
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Irish Old-Fashioned
ingredients
- 2 ounces Irish whiskey
- ¼ ounce brown sugar simple syrup
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- 1 piece orange zest about 4 inches, for garnish
- 1 large ice cube
instructions
- In a mixing glass, stir together Irish whiskey and simple syrup.
- Add a large ice cube to a rocks glass, and pour the whiskey over the top.
- Add a few dashes of orange bitters, and garnish with a piece of orange zest.
notes
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