Welcome to episode 1 of The Art of Drinking with Join Jules and Your Favorite Uncle

What are we drinking?

Here we go, our first drink… The Old Fashioned.

There are so many ways to make an Old Fashioned and every cocktail bar seems to have its version. However, there is one (air quotes) style of Old Fashioned that is pretty consistent… and that is the Wisconsin Old Fashioned. Now I “Air Quoted” because the Wisconsin Old Fashioned comes a few different ways, and this can seem confusing, but I’m here to simplify this for you. 

Now before we get into the Wisconsin Old Fashioned, let’s make sure we share the classic old-fashioned so listeners know how we got from the classic recipe and how we got to the Wisconsin classic recipe. So what’s the old-fashioned classic recipe?

• 2 oz Bourbon

• 3 dashes Angostura bitters

• 2 dashes Orange bitters

• 1/2 oz demerara syrup

• Ice

• Pour bourbon into a mixing glass with ice.

• Add bitters and syrup and mix together.

• Pour the mixture into a final chilled rocks glass with a clear ice block.

• Twist an orange rind over the glass and drop into the glass.

Wisconsin Old Fashioned

What do I need?

Before we get into what I need to buy… I need to break down the Wisco Old Fashioned for you. Imagine a triangle with 3 levels. At the top, you have 1 compartment, meaning, no matter how you make the Wisco Old Fashioned all versions get this, and that is a muddled orange slice, cherry, sugar cube, and bitters. Next layer down, you have 2 compartments, representing a choice. On the layer above you had no choice, right because??? Every Wiso old-fashioned comes with a muddled orange slice, cherry, sugar cube, and bitters. Now on this second layer, your choice is Bandy or Whiskey. Now at the bottom, is your 3rd and final layer. You now have 3 choices to make. Do you want your Wiso old-fashioned sweet (with lemon-lime soda), sour (grapefruit soda), or Pressed (half soda water/half soda pop)

Let’s start back at the top of the pyramid

1. Sugar cubes (don’t get fancy – just C&H)

2. Orange

3. Cherries (you want the red ones)

4. Angostura Bitters

Next Layer down

1. Brandy or Whiskey (blended Canadian is fine) – hell, get both

Next Layer Down

1. Sweet – Lemon Lime Soda (sprite/7up)

2. Sour – Grapefruit soda (squirt/Fresca)

3. +Press – Soda water

Don’t forget the ice and garnish

1. Regular cubed ice on this one

2. If you are going with the sour… tradition states you use olive, pickled mushroom, or pickled Brussel sprouts

3. You’ll need a muddler or the back of a wooden spoon (a muddler is great here)

4. Lowball or Rocks Glass…

1. Olives, pickled mushrooms, or picked Brussel sprouts

2. Lowball or Rocks Glass

3. Muddler or back of a spoon

4. Ice

How do I make it?

Again, starting at the top of the pyramid… and this one you make right in the glass.

Add to glass

• 1 sugar cube

• 3 dash of angostura bitters

Take your orange and slice it in half (from stem to navel). Place 1/2 have of the orange face down on cutting board. Place the tip of your finger on the stem and the tip of your thumb on the navel or opposite end. Now you’re holding the orange and keeping it flat on the cutting board, you are going to slice again across the middle. Now slice again, in the same direction, a 1/4 inch slice of orange.

• Add orange to glass

• Drop in 1 cherry

Muddle it. Note: This is not a stabbing motion. You press and twist, press, and twist, press and twist, press and twist. Once you’ve finished abusing Carmen Miranda’s headdress… Jules do you know who that is?

• Pour in your 2 oz of Brandy or Whiskey and give the mixture a little swirl with your muddler to mix it all together

Fill the glass with ice

• Top off with 7-up for sweet, Squirt for sour, and if you want it Pressed (which essentially cuts the soda pop in half, go half soda pop, and half soda water)

Garnish

• Take a cocktail pick and impale a cherry or two along with an orange slice and drop it along the side of your drink.

What do I need?

Now, I’m going to let brad have his moment with the Wisconsin old-fashioned and I’m really going to throw you, classic old-fashioned lovers, for a loop. I’m taking the basic old-fashioned recipe and turning it into a Frozen Old Fashioned because I personally think it’s more fun and enjoyable! So, here’s what you’ll need:

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2 oz of your favorite bourbon, a four roses works fine here

• 1 oz Fresh squeezed orange Juice

• 3-4 dashes of Angostura Bitters

• ½ oz Brown sugar simple syrup

• 1 Cup Ice

• Optional ¼ oz luxardo cherry juice

Tools:

• Knife

• Citrus Squeezer

• Blender

• Jigger

• Rocks glass

• Garnish pick

Let’s garnish:

You can garnish a couple of ways, here’s some ideas:

• Fresh mint

• Luxardo cherry on a cocktail pick

• Fresh orange wheel

How do I make it?

Let’s make our Frozen Old Fashioned.

Our main tool is our blender so we will add all our ingredients into our blender measuring with our jigger.

• 2 oz of your favorite bourbon, a four roses works fine here

• 1 oz Fresh squeezed orange Juice

• 3-4 dashes of Angostura Bitters

• ½ oz Brown sugar simple syrup

• 1 Cup Ice

• Optional ¼ oz luxardo cherry juice

Once we have all our ingredients we will blend until smooth.

Pour into our final rocks glass.

Garnish with my personal favorite an orange wheel and voila!

How to make clear ice

1. Small cooler, fits a 12 pack

2. Rip lid off and throw away

3. Fill with water

4. Place in freezer for 24 hours

5. Pull out of freezer and take top layer off

6. Place on cookie sheet and score with serrated knife

7. Wait 1 hour, and hammer out your squares (it won’t be perfect)

If you don’t have time for that, there are clear ice molds on amazon that are specifically for making clear ice. Try to give those a try!

When making clear ice you can also add fun items to spice up your ice:

• Edible flowers

• Citrus 

• Fruit

• Edible glitter