Rum Old Fashioned
Ingredients
&w=3840&q=75){kind=small}
&w=3840&q=75){kind=small}
&w=3840&q=75){kind=small}
- 1 tsp demerara sugar
- 1 tsp water
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 2 ounces aged rum
- 1 ice – large cube (for serving)
- orange peel – expressed over drink (for garnish)
Instructions
1. Add the demerara sugar and water to a heavy rocks glass. Add the Angostura bitters and stir or muddle until the sugar is mostly dissolved, 15–20 seconds.
2. Pour in the aged rum, add the large ice cube, and stir until well-chilled and slightly diluted, 20–30 seconds.
3. Express the orange peel over the surface to release oils, rub it around the rim, then drop it into the glass or discard (garnish). Serve immediately.
A rum old fashioned is a spirit-forward cocktail that showcases the warmth and depth of aged rum, balanced by gentle sweetness and the spice of aromatic bitters. The drink is silky on the palate, lightly sweet, and lifted by the citrus oils from an expressed orange peel. Served over a single large ice cube, it stays cold and slowly opens up as it dilutes, keeping the focus on the character of the rum.
The old fashioned formula—spirit, sugar, bitters, and citrus oils—emerged in 19th‑century American cocktail culture. While whiskey is the canonical base, bartenders and drinkers have long applied the same template to other spirits, and rum is a natural fit given its deep historical roots in the Americas and the Caribbean. Today, the rum old fashioned has become a staple in cocktail bars, bridging classic technique with the rich, molasses‑tinged profile of aged rum.