Oaxaca Old Fashioned

You can make an Old Fashioned out of pretty much anything. While the traditional Old Fashioned is Bourbon based, the formula for any Old Fashioned is base spirit, some sort of sweetener (like Simple Syrup), and some bitters.

Sometimes also called a Mezcal Old Fashioned, The Oaxaca Old Fashioned takes this simple formula and brings a little bit more to the party by using not only Tequila as a base spirit but Mezcal as well. So the Oaxaca Old Fashioned/Mezcal Old Fashioned uses a bit of Mezcal and a bit of Tequila as well. It's a really good combination! Rather than a basic sweetener like Simple Syrup, this recipe uses Agave Nectar instead. These changes, although small, add up to some drastic differences in taste that give this classic cocktail style a very Mexican feeling to it.

If you frequently drink an Old Fashioned, perhaps it's time to change things up a little bit with a different base spirit and a different flavour profile. Perhaps the Oaxaca Old Fashioned is for you!

Total Time 3

Servings 1 cocktail

Ingredients

45 mL Tequila Reposado or any other Tequila if you prefer
15 mL Mezcal
10 mL Agave Nectar
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Garnish with an orange peel

Instructions

Build this cocktail in a Rocks or Old Fashioned glass by adding Tequila, Mezcal, Agave Nectar, and Bitters to the glass with a large ice cube.
Stir everything well to ensure the drink is chilled and the ingredients thoroughly mixed together.
Garnish and serve.

Notes

Since you can Old Fashioned anything, adding a bit of sugar and bitters to neat Tequila and/or Mezcal probably isn't an extremely new idea. However, the newer idea is the mixture of both Tequila and Mezcal in a balanced acted of flavours. To this end, the Oaxaca Old Fashioned gives credit to New York bartender Phil Ward who invented this drink in 2007 at Death and Co.

Try this cocktail recipe with a variety of different Tequilas and Mezcals. Like good Scotch, these spirits can have wildly different flavours to them and different combinations may work better than others. So have fun with this one!

Let’s Keep Talking About the Oaxaca Old Fashioned

As mentioned, if you’re an Old Fashioned drinker, this may be a great cocktail for you to try. The Old Fashioned formula is a great one because it’s so simple. It’s one of the oldest cocktail recipes out there for a reason! And although you can use pretty much any base spirit for an Old Fashioned, some work better than others, and you may need to use different levels (and types) of sugar to really make the cocktail work. The creator of the Oaxaca Old Fashioned has done the work for you to find that balance, and it really works.

Is this cocktail a Mezcal Old Fashioned?

Yes it is, but it’s more commonly called an Oaxaca Old Fashioned. We’ve taken a look at other sources and can’t seem to find an Old Fashioned recipe that’s pure Mezcal. Even folks who are calling this cocktail a Mezcal Old Fashion use Tequila to a similar ratio to what you see here.

You’re welcome to replace the Tequila in this cocktail with Mezcal and have a true Mezcal Old Fashioned, but you may find the mixture to harsh. Sure, straight Mezcal can be lovely, but a cocktail is all about balance. The addition of Tequila in this Mezcal Old Fashioned/Oaxaca Old Fashioned puts in some balance.

Can I make a bigger batch of the Oaxaca Old Fashioned?

You probably could by mixing everything together in a mixing glass, but it loses some of the charm of any kind of Old Fashioned. If you want to make a few in a mixing glass, you should be fine, but making a whole jug of this cocktail would be a little odd.

Can I make an Oaxaca Old Fashioned and serve it later?

This cocktail should keep in the fridge once you make, just make sure not to store it with ice because the ice will melt, making your cocktail too diluted. So feel free to make one of these cocktails in the morning, stick it in the refrigerator, then enjoy it when you get home from work.

When should I have an Oaxaca Old Fashioned?

Since this is a spin on the classic, it’s easy to see that the Oaxaca Old Fashioned would go well in the place of any time you’d have a classic Bourbon Old Fashioned. Personally we like to enjoy any kind of Old Fashioned after dinner, but also at times when we’d just like to easily whip up a cocktail and relax.

Beyond that, since the Old Fashioned (of any variety) is so simple, only using the sugar and Bitters to bring flavours out, it’s also a great cocktail if you’d like to sample different Tequilas or Mezcals. There’s not much there to take away from the wonderful flavours from the base spirits here, so use this recipe as a great way to try something new.

Alternatively, if you’re having a general Mexican themed party, this cocktail recipe is excellent to add to your menu. While you’d obviously need to put a Margarita on there, it’s fun to offer guests an alternative. And the Oaxaca Old Fashioned can be one of those alternatives.

Is the Oaxaca Old Fashioned considered a strong cocktail?

Between the classic Bourbon Old Fashioned and the Oaxaca Old Fashioned, they both have the same amount of base spirit (60 mL), and Tequila/Mezcal isn’t stronger than Bourbon, so you could say it’s the Oaxaca Old Fashioned is the same strength as the standard.

While 60 mL of base spirit doesn’t exactly make a light cocktail, you’ll notice that, since the Old Fashioned is such a standard classic cocktail, it pretty much created the “average” amount of spirit you’ll find in a lot of cocktail recipes. This means that, while it’s stronger than a glass of wine, it’s about average for a cocktail.

What kind of music goes best with an Oaxaca Old Fashioned?

This is a pretty broad one. With a Bourbon Old Fashioned, we like to listen to older music. It is an older cocktail after all. We’d give the same advice for an Oaxaca Old Fashioned, but with a more western or Mexican vibe to the old music. Perhaps some old style piano music; the kind you hear in Western movies when someone walks into a saloon.

Barring that, fun Mariachi music may go well, especially if you’re using this cocktail as part of a wider Mexican themed party.

Either way, have fun.