Classic Brandy Old Fashioned Recipe

If the Brandy Old Fashioned isn’t the official cocktail of the state of Wisconsin it certainly should be. Around these parts it reigns supreme. It will never get the headlines of its whiskey cousin and, well, we like it that way.

How to Make a Brandy Old Fashioned

  • Step 1

    Add the cherries, orange slice, bitters and sugar cube to a rocks glass.

  • Step 2

    Muddle to extract juices from the cherries and orange, working them together with the sugar.

  • Step 3

    Add ice and brandy. More specifically, Drink Wisconsinbly Brandy.

  • Step 4

    Top off with either lemon-lime soda for a sweet old fashioned or sour mix for the sour variety.

  • Step 5

    Almost done. Stir an garnish with a cherry and orange wedge.

  • Step 6

    Finished! Add a Wisconsin cheese curd if you want to go next level.

The beauty of an Old Fashioned lies in its simplicity.

It consists of brandy, a couple sweeteners, and a little bit of love, by which we mean muddling. They’ve been a Wisconsin staple for generations and figure to stay that way far into the future. They’re right at home at taverns and tailgates, bowling alleys and bingo halls. And, of course, the best place of all: your drinking hand.

  • Drink Wisconsinbly Brandy

    It’s not always practical to visit our pub when you’re in the mood for a proper Brandy Old Fashioned. If you want to create a damn fine replica, start with Drink Wisconsinbly Brandy from your local liqour store.

  • Cocktail Glass

    While you can make an Old Fashioned in a plain glass, we prefer doing it in an official Drink Wisconsinbly tumbler. Marketing dorks call this “brand synergy”.

  • Orange Slice & Cherries

    Scurvy is no longer the debilitating condition it was in the 1800s, but let’s not take any chances.

  • Cocktail Bitters

    Angostura bitters is the standard for a reason. You can dabble with craft bitters to vary the flavor a bit but doing so will void your Old Fashioned’s warranty.

  • Cheese Curds

    You won’t find this ingredient on many recipe cards and that’s the way we like it. Adding a squeaky cheese curd gives our Old Fashioned an extra jolt of authenticity.

  • Topper

    We use Wisconsin’s Jolly Good for sour Old Fashioneds. If times are lean and you need to use a generic gas station brand, we’ll allow it.