Your Old Fashioned Is Begging for an Upgrade

The Old Fashioned has been around for generations, but classic doesn't have to mean predictable.

In fact, the beauty of an Old Fashioned is how easily it can be reinvented.

At its core, the formula couldn't be simpler:

Spirit + Sugar + Bitters

Change any one of those ingredients and you can create an entirely different experience. Swap bourbon for rye. Rye for aged rum. Traditional sugar for something darker and richer. Aromatic bitters for something spicy, nutty, fruity, or unexpected.

That's where things get interesting.

Our Warn Reserve Burnt Sugar Syrup and West 509 Spiced Almond Bitters take the familiar Old Fashioned into deeper territory, bringing caramelized sweetness, warm spice, and rich almond character to a cocktail that was practically designed for experimentation.

The Old Fashioned Was Made to Be Reinvented

There's a reason bartenders keep coming back to the Old Fashioned.

It's less of a rigid recipe and more of a beautifully simple formula.

Start with a great spirit. Add sweetness. Add bitters. Dilute with ice. Garnish with something aromatic.

That's it.

But within that formula, there are nearly endless possibilities.

And one of the easiest ways to completely change the personality of your Old Fashioned is to rethink the sugar and bitters.

Instead of simply making the whiskey sweeter, why not add another layer of flavor?

Enter burnt sugar.

Burnt Sugar: Sweetness With a Dark Side

Simple syrup does its job.

It sweetens.

Burnt Sugar Syrup does more.

Caramelization transforms ordinary sweetness into something deeper and more complex, bringing notes reminiscent of dark caramel, toasted sugar, molasses, and brûléed desserts.

Put those flavors next to bourbon and everything starts clicking.

Bourbon already brings notes of vanilla, oak, caramel, and baking spice from the barrel. Burnt sugar doesn't compete with those flavors, it amplifies them.

It's the difference between adding sweetness to your whiskey and adding flavor to your whiskey.

And we're always going to vote for flavor.

Then Comes West 509 - Spiced Almond Bitters

Bitters may be measured in dashes, but don't mistake quantity for importance.

They're seasoning for your cocktail.

Our West 509 Spiced Almond Bitters bring warm spice and almond complexity to the glass, making them an especially good match for barrel-aged spirits.

Think about the flavors already happening in a good bourbon:

Vanilla. Caramel. Oak. Spice.

Now add:

Toasted sugar. Almond. More spice.

Finish everything with the aromatic oils from a fresh orange peel and you've created an Old Fashioned that's familiar enough to recognize but different enough to remember.

Burnt Sugar Old Fashioned

Deep, rich, slightly nutty, and beautifully balanced, this is the cocktail we make when a regular Old Fashioned just isn't going to cut it.

Ingredients

• 2 oz bourbon or rye whiskey

• 1/4 oz Warn Reserve Burnt Sugar Syrup

• 3–4 dashes Warn Reserve West 509 Spiced Almond Bitters

• Orange peel

• Luxardo Cherry

• Large ice cube

Directions

Add the whiskey, Burnt Sugar Syrup, and West 509 Spiced Almond Bitters to a mixing glass filled with ice.

Stir for about 20 - 30 seconds until thoroughly chilled and properly diluted.

Strain into a rocks glass over one large cube of ice.

Cut a generous strip of orange peel and express the oils over the surface of the cocktail. Rub the peel around the rim of the glass before adding it as your garnish. Drop in the cherry.

Sip slowly.

Bourbon or Rye? Make It Your Old Fashioned.

Here's another opportunity to change the drink.

Use bourbon and you'll lean into the cocktail's richer side. Vanilla and caramel from the whiskey blend beautifully with burnt sugar and almond.

Use rye and you'll get something spicier and a little drier. Rye's peppery character creates more contrast with the rich Burnt Sugar Syrup.

Neither is the "correct" answer.

That's the point.

Try a Burnt Sugar Rum Old Fashioned

Whiskey doesn't own the Old Fashioned.

Aged rum might be one of the best spirits to pair with Burnt Sugar Syrup.

Combine:

2 oz aged rum + 1/4 oz Burnt Sugar Syrup + 3 - 4 dashes West 509

Stir with ice and serve over a large cube with an orange peel.

Rum's molasses, vanilla, oak, and tropical fruit notes work beautifully with caramelized sugar and almond.

If you're a bourbon drinker who thinks rum cocktails are always sweet and fruity, this one might change your mind.

Burnt Sugar Syrup Can Do More Than Old Fashioneds

Once you've discovered what caramelized sugar does to whiskey, there's no reason to put the bottle away.

Burnt Sugar Espresso Martini

This combination almost feels unfair.

Coffee and caramelized sugar already belong together. Use Burnt Sugar Syrup instead of regular simple syrup in your favorite Espresso Martini.

Then add a couple dashes of West 509.

Coffee + burnt sugar + almond?

Yes. Absolutely yes.

Burnt Sugar White Russian

Swap some or all of the sweetness in a White Russian for Burnt Sugar Syrup.

Coffee liqueur, cream, caramelized sugar?

Dessert has officially entered the cocktail glass.

West 509 Loves More Than Whiskey

Spiced almond is one of those flavors that quietly gets along with almost everyone.

It pairs especially well with:

• Chocolate

• Coffee

• Cherry

• Orange

• Apple

• Pear

• Peach

• Vanilla

• Cinnamon and baking spices

• Bourbon, rye, rum, and brandy

Try West 509 in a Manhattan, especially one garnished with a good cocktail cherry.

Add a few dashes to a Chocolate Martini.

Try it in an Apple Brandy Old Fashioned.

Pair it with aged rum and orange.

Or experiment with it anywhere you'd normally reach automatically for aromatic bitters.

Sometimes changing the bitters is all it takes to make an old recipe feel completely new.

Burnt Sugar Doesn't Have to Stay Behind the Bar

Your bottle of Burnt Sugar Syrup can wander into the kitchen, too.

Try it in coffee, cold brew, iced lattes, and espresso drinks.

Drizzle a little over vanilla ice cream.

Use it on French toast or waffles.

Add it to baked apples or pears.

Try it over bread pudding.

Drizzle it onto grilled peaches or pineapple.

Or combine vanilla ice cream, Burnt Sugar Syrup, toasted pecans, and a pinch of flaky sea salt.

We'd call that a cocktail ingredient being wildly overqualified for its job.

One Classic. Endless Possibilities.

The Old Fashioned has survived because it isn't trapped by its own history.

It's a framework for creativity.

Spirit. Sugar. Bitters.

That's your canvas.

Our Burnt Sugar Syrup brings deep, caramelized richness while West 509 Spiced Almond Bitters add warm spice and nutty complexity.

Put them together with your favorite bourbon or rye and you've got one seriously good Burnt Sugar Old Fashioned.

But don't stop there.

Change the spirit. Change the garnish. Add coffee. Try rum. Reach for brandy. Pair almond with cherry or chocolate.

Make the classic your own.

Because the Old Fashioned wasn't meant to sit untouched on a pedestal.

It was meant to be reinvented.

Experience Your Cocktail.