Spiced Old Fashioned

The Old Fashioned is one of the oldest cocktails in existence — whisky, sugar, bitters, ice. Nothing extra, nothing hidden, nowhere to hide. It's a drink that strips everything back and asks the spirit to do the work. Which is exactly why Landlocked Spiced Rum belongs in one.

Landlocked Spiced Rum is a small-batch molasses rum with natural spicing built in: vanilla, warming aromatics, a long and smooth finish. It doesn't need much help, but the right Old Fashioned framework gives it room to be its best self.

Here, maple syrup replaces the traditional sugar cube or simple syrup, adding a woody, caramel sweetness that echoes the rum's own vanilla notes without competing with them. Orange bitters and Angostura bitters work in tandem — the orange adds a bright citrus fragrance that lifts the nose, while the Angostura brings the spice and herbal depth that makes an Old Fashioned feel like an Old Fashioned.

The method is critical: stir everything slowly over a large ice cube until cold and properly diluted. Rushing it produces a flat, boozy drink. Patience produces something silky, rounded, and beautifully complex. Strain over fresh ice in a lowball glass, add a generous orange peel expressed and twisted over the glass, and take a moment before you drink it.

This is the cocktail equivalent of a good coat. Classic, reliable, and better than it looks.

THE RECIPE