Brandy Old Fashioned

In Wisconsin the topper decides. Sweet means lemon-lime soda, sour means a sour mix or Squirt, and press splits the difference with soda water. Ask for it plain and you get the short version written here, which sits much closer to a whiskey Old Fashioned.

A soft California brandy is the traditional pour and stays cheap; Korbel is what most Wisconsin taverns keep behind the bar. Spanish brandy de Jerez brings raisin and oak and makes a richer drink. Good cognac works, but its finesse mostly vanishes under the sugar.

That's the local method. Press a slice of orange and a cherry with the sugar and bitters before the brandy goes in, and you get a rounder, jammier drink. Grinding the pith turns it bitter, so crush the fruit gently and stop early.

Yes, and it dissolves properly, which a cube often refuses to do in a cold glass. Eight milliliters of 1:1 syrup is roughly one cube's worth. If you prefer the cube, soak it with bitters and a splash of water and crush it flat first.

A classic Brandy Old Fashioned calls for 60 ml (2 oz) Brandy, 8 ml (0.25 oz) Simple syrup, 2 dashes Angostura Angostura bitters. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

A standard Brandy Old Fashioned is roughly 35% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it spirit-forward — closer to a Martini than to a beer, so sip it slowly.

A Brandy Old Fashioned is stirred, not shaken. It contains no citrus juice, so stirring keeps it crystal clear and silky instead of cloudy and aerated.