The old fashioned might just be the king of cocktails. It’s simple to make and is an enjoyable drink to be enjoyed slowly, in the company of a good friend, movie or book.

Here’s a fine basic recipe, from Liquor.com:

• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 teaspoon water
• 2 ounces bourbon (or rye whiskey, if preferred)
• Garnish: orange twist

The best old fashioned is one that you love. There’s a lot of wiggle room in making your perfect drink. I recommend a journey with theme and variations so you can discover your own favorite. With that in mind, here’s a broad guide:

The Old Fashioned generally consists of spirit, sweetener and bitters.

For a sharper, more focused drink with a little bit of spice, build your drink from a rye whiskey. You don’t need to buy the most expensive spirits for a mixed drink. Good choices in the middle include Old Forester Rye, Bulleit Rye or Knob Creek Rye. These run about $30 a bottle. If you feel like splurging, the various Whistle Pig variations are excellent, and start at about $60.

If you prefer a more buttery, rounder drink, use bourbon. There are so many great bourbons, many available at popular prices. At the higher end, I love Angel’s Envy. The various Four Roses options are excellent, as are Bulleit, Knob Creek or George Dickel. Again, if you keep things in the $25-40 range, you’ll be doing fine. Since you’re mixing, you don’t have to be a snob about the spirit you use.

In Wisconsin, they use brandy for some or all the spirit. They also use lots of gloppy fruit in their drink and they may top it off with soda water. Of course, they’re nuts, but I’m sharing this in case you ever travel to Wisconsin. You have been warned.

Pour about two ounces of spirit, and next add some sweetener.

The classic old fashioned just calls for a teaspoon of sugar. Or a teaspoon of simple syrup (that’s 50/50 water and sugar, cooked on the stove until clear, then cooled and bottled). Either of these options are fine. For an upgrade, try gum or Demerara syrup. For a slightly more soulful drink, maple syrup is good. To really make the drink “autumnal” try barrel-aged maple syrup. 

The fun really is just beginning, as you can sub sweet liqueurs for the sugar. In a French Bistro, I enjoyed an old fashioned with crème de cassis as the sweetener. Licor 43 from Spain is another nice option with notes of butterscotch. It’s your drink; you can experiment.

Next, add your bitters.

Angostura bitters are the default, and they’re very good. Lots of “aromatic” bitters have a more autumnal or wintry taste – notes of cinnamon. The Walnut Room at the Palmer House in Chicago uses walnut bitters, of course. Chocolate bitters can be nice. 

The old fashioned wants some orange, too

The default way to add orange is to cut a peel with a peeler (I like the Oxo Y peeler), express its oils, and drop the peel in the drink. But there are lots of other options. You can just add some orange bitters. Or a small amount of orange liqueur, such as Curacao, Gran Marnier, or Cointreau. Maybe half a teaspoon or more, to taste. If you’re adding sweetness here, you might also cut back on the sugar.

You’re not done until you add one beautiful cherry

The very best cherries are Luxardo. If you disagree, you can fight me. A small jar is about $20 but lasts a good while. While you’re in there, add some cherry juice in your drink. And if you’re the sort who doesn’t eat the cherry, unfriend me immediately. 

Melt some ice

The best old fashioned is built in a pitcher over lots of ice, then stirred about 30 times, then strained into a double old fashioned glass with a nice big cube. Cold temperatures and melted ice help the drink settle down. If you don’t want to do the two-step process, just build your drink in a glass and give it a long stir before enjoying.

Lord knows the world can be a crappy place, what with wars, famine, the Jefferson Starship and paying for parking with your phone. Take refuge from the idiocy and stress, and give in to the siren call of a quality cocktail. Tomorrow is another day of battle, but for now, all is right. 

Recommended pairings:

Candlelight

Your one true love

Some early Miles Davis or Chet Baker

Sidebar: more about the Wisconsin Old Fashioned, from an intrepid traveler, my friend Joe Norris:

My biggest surprise on the Old Fashioned Road Trip was that when I gave bartenders the freedom to build an OF the way they like it, none of them used brandy. None. Not even the Wisconsin barkeeps. Rye was used most often. At the bigger supper clubs, the “build it your way” didn’t work because they have to mass produce the drinks. They had 20 or 30 glasses lined up with an orange slice and a maraschino in the bottom, ready to muddle. They all had an Old Fashioned mix ready to go – simple syrup & bitters together. So when an order came in, they’d a grab glass, muddle the fruit, add ice, pour brandy with one hand & their OF mix with the other, then add the Wisconsin-required soda and garnish, as you mentioned. 

That’s where they give you a choice: “Sweet, sour or press?” Sweet is Sprite. Sour is Fresca or the equivalent. Press is mostly club soda. A couple barkeeps told me that “press” means they press the club soda button & Sprite button simultaneously. But another bartender (named Rand) claims that “press” means Presbyterian – and it’s straight club soda. That version makes me laugh and I’m sticking with it as the official definition. 

The other surprise in Wisconsin was the garnishes. I’d assumed they’d all go with the orange peel & the Luxardo. Not so. In the smaller bars, they used pickled mushrooms or pickled Brussels sprouts. Bizarre, but oddly a bit of welcome balance with the sweetness. 

I’ve been starting mine with a Demerara sugar cube, because I enjoy the ritual. Cube, bitters, teaspoon of water, then gently crush the Demerara before adding the rye & the big cube. According to legend, that’s why Old Fashioned glasses have the heavy base – so the glass won’t crack when you’re crushing the Demerara. I also use the Luxardos, the Ango & the orange peel, as you do. 

A wise man once told me, “If you don’t have an orange in your bar, don’t even try to make an Old Fashioned. Just don’t. The expressed citrus oils are that important. Plus, the drink will look unfinished without it.”