Fill low ball glass with large sphere or square ice cube. Pour drink into prepared glass. Garnish with cherries and orange peel, if desired, and serve.
2 Luxardo cherries,
Notes
Ingredient Notes:Brandy: Use your favorite as this is a spirit forward drink. My current favorite is Driftless Glen.Cherry Juice: You can use the cherry juice from the jar of cherries or buy cherry juice at the store. We always use the juice from the jar we are garnishing with since it's already open.Demerara Syrup:Make your own at home in minutes! If you're short on time, you can also use natural cane sugar cube and a tablespoon of water in its place. Regular simple syrup would work in a pinch, but you will lose some of the depth in the drink that the demerara sugar adds.Bitters: You can use cherry or orange depending on your flavor preference. Both work great.Cherries: Use the expensive cocktail cherries (Luxardo or Bada Bing are a few favorites) and save the inexpensive bright red cherries for your ice cream. It's worth it, I promise.Tips for the best old fashioned cocktails.✘ Make sure you stir, not shake, an old fashioned. Shaking brings air into the drink and dilutes the cocktail too much. Stirring gives you a velvety texture while chilling the drink at the same time.✘ Use a large sphere or square ice cube when you serve a spirit-based cocktail such as an Old Fashioned or Manhattan. The large cube doesn't melt as fast so your cocktail is chilled but doesn't get diluted.✘ Don't forget the garnish. The orange peel adds orange flavor with the oils from the peel so it completes the cocktail as well as adds a pop of color.