Why the Old Fashioned is the Ultimate Test of a Bartender’s Skill
In a world of ever-evolving cocktail trends, few serves remain as pure, poised and deceptively simple as the Old Fashioned. With just three ingredients spirit, sugar and bitters. This drink stands as the ultimate expression of restraint and mastery.
There’s no garnish trickery or elaborate infusion to mask imbalance. The Old Fashioned is unforgiving; every element must work in harmony. Which is why, for bartenders and cocktail purists alike, Angostura® bitters isn’t just a preference. It’s a necessity.
A single dash of Angostura® brings order to simplicity. Its signature blend of herbs and spices ties sweetness to strength, warmth to depth, transforming a good serve into a great one. For more than a century, bartenders have reached for the familiar oversized label not out of habit, but because precision demands reliability and reliability tastes like Angostura®.
As tastes shift toward quality over excess, the Old Fashioned continues to command respect for its understated complexity. It’s a drink that rewards balance and punishes shortcuts. And in this quiet perfection, Angostura® bitters stands as both the anchor and the art.
Whether stirred with whisky on a winter’s night, reimagined with rum under summer skies, or crafted with brandy for a South African twist, the Old Fashioned remains timeless proof that true mastery lies not in how much you add, but in how well you refine.
Golden Grove Old Fashioned Recipe
Ingredients:
- 50ml South African Single Malt Whisky or Potstill Brandy
- 10ml Rooibos & Honey Syrup (2:1 honey to strong rooibos tea)
- 2 dashes Angostura® Orange Bitters
Optional garnish: Dehydrated orange wheel + sprig of thyme
Method:
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir gently until well-chilled and balanced. Strain into a rocks glass over a large cube of ice. Express an orange peel over the glass to release its oils, then garnish with the peel and a sprig of thyme for a subtle herbal lift.
The Profile:
Smooth and radiant with notes of citrus, honey, and spice, the Golden Grove Old Fashioned celebrates the art of simplicity. Every element works in harmony with Angostura® Orange Bitters providing the defining balance that transforms minimal ingredients into a cocktail of quiet brilliance.
For more information on the Angostura® range and to discover refreshing summer cocktails featuring our Orange and Cocoa Bitters visit the website.
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About Angostura® Bitters
The proud history of the House of Angostura® began almost two hundred years ago in 1824, when founder Dr. Johann Siegert first produced aromatic bitters in the city of Angostura in Venezuela. Recognised over the centuries by the granting of Royal Warrants of Appointment to the royal households of Great Britain, Prussia, Spain and Sweden, Angostura® aromatic bitters is the world’s market leader, an essential ingredient in premium cocktails, and a mainstay of cocktail culture. Angostura® orange bitters was launched in 2007 and is made from its own special recipe, with a complex blend of tropical oranges and spices. Angostura® cocoa bitters uses the world’s finest Trinitario cocoa from Trinidad and Tobago creating a sensory fusion that, after years of nurturing, brings superior flavour to the hands of bartenders, chefs and at-home connoisseurs.
The House of Angostura® also produces an international range of rums with five distinctive blends: Angostura 1824®, Angostura 1919®, Angostura® 7-Year-Old, Angostura® 5-Year-Old and Angostura® Reserva. The newest product in the portfolio is the multi award-winning Amaro di Angostura® – a blend of their finest bitters and rums, leveraging their unsurpassed heritage.
