Tips on How to Make Old-Fashioned Drinks At Home

When it comes to entertaining, there’s nothing more fun than serving friends and family drinks that they won’t soon forget. The good news is that you don’t need to shell out hundreds of dollars on special mixers and exotic liquors to make your friends happy. All you need are the right old-fashioned home bartender’s tips and a bit of imagination.

Researchers at Purdue University examined more than 500 surveys on the topic of home entertaining and came up with some great insights on how to make great parties happen at home. They found that a whopping 83% of people surveyed said they would be willing to throw a party if they felt like their hosts had prepared. So if you’re ready to get started, here are five great ways to make old-fashioned cocktails at home.

Have a Complete Bar Set Up

One of the most important things to have when hosting a party is a fully-stocked bar. If you don’t have room for one, opt for a smaller counter-top or tabletop bar that can be placed anywhere in your kitchen. You should also set up two cocktail pitchers—one with water and one with ice—near the bar so guests can always make their drinks fresh.

Plan Your Menu and Serve Drinks in Progression

If you’ve ever been to a party and watched the bartender, you may have noticed that they prepare drinks in a progression. The bartender prepares the first drink and then goes back to make the second drink while the guests wait for their first drink. It’s this attention to detail that ensures that your guests don’t feel neglected or ignored. In fact, researchers found that 83% of people surveyed said they would prefer it if their hosts prepared the party in stages so they wouldn’t feel like they were being ignored.

You can use this same technique at home by planning a menu of drinks ahead of time and preparing them in order of intensity. This will ensure your guests are satisfied, happy, and entertained.

Make a Signature Drink

One of the best ways to have a memorable party is to have a signature drink. Choose one of your favorite drinks and serve it in an interesting way—maybe with a fun straw or in a bowl as opposed to a cocktail glass.

Mix up your favorite cocktail

The first step to throwing a great old-fashioned cocktail party is to mix up your favorite drink. If you are new to the world of drinking, this may sound like a strange tip, but it’s actually a good idea. When you mix up your favorite drink and serve it to your guests, they will know that you care about what they want. This is important because people on dates or at parties don’t want to be served something they don’t enjoy. By mixing up their favorite drink, you show them that you care about what they like, and this will make them more receptive to other drinks at the party.

Play with Gin and Tonic Variations

Gin and tonics are the quintessential old-fashioned drinks. But, according to Purdue University, it’s also a great way to get creative in the kitchen.

Play around with different types of gin for a unique flavor. You could also experiment with different types of tonics, as well as adding in fresh fruit or herbs for a refreshing twist on your favorite drink. Appleton Estate Jamaican Rum offers an intriguing take on the traditional cocktail, which you can try out by combining their high-quality rum with Fevertree Indian Tonic Water, lime juice, and honey syrup before topping off the concoction with fresh cucumber slices.

Make the right equipment

When it comes to your home bar, you don’t need much. If you have a blender, that’s all you need to make great drinks. If you want to get fancier, a mixing glass and jigger are helpful. And while they’re not necessary, they’ll make your job easier.

Next, set up your bar with the right liquors. The most important thing is to have good bourbon on hand, but vodka and gin are also handy for mixers.

And one last tip: Be sure to stock up on fresh ingredients like oranges and lemons when they’re in season! They’ll be perfect to slice up and garnish drinks with at the party.

Don’t Forget the Simple Stuff

The old-fashioned is one of the simplest drinks to make at home. All you need is a bottle of whiskey, a sugar cube, and a lemon or lime wedge.

Take your lemon or lime wedge and rub it around the rim of your glass. You should do this for every glass you plan to serve. Wet the sugar with the juice from the fruit, then place it at the bottom of the whiskey glass. Add ice cubes to fill about half way, then pour in about two ounces of whiskey. Stir gently for about 10 seconds before serving.

If you want to get fancy, you can use orange bitters instead of plain water in your cocktail mix, as well as add slices of oranges or pineapples for garnish.

Bottom line

The great thing about old-fashioned home cocktails is that you don’t need anything fancy to make them. All you need is some ice, a lemon or lime, simple syrup, and a high-quality bourbon like Maker’s Mark. There are many variations on the drink, but the general recipe is one ounce of bourbon or whiskey, half an ounce of either sweet or dry vermouth (red wine isn’t recommended), and a dash of Angostura bitters. The mixture should be strained over ice in a rocks glass and garnished with either an orange zest or a twist of lemon peel.

There are many other variations that may suit your tastes better than the classic recipe, so feel free to experiment until you find the perfect old-fashioned cocktail for you! For example, if you want to add more spice to your drink, try adding some ginger syrup after straining the mixture and topping with a slice of apple.