In our everlasting quest to find the perfect hangover cure, countless remedies have been attempted. Full-time technologist and part-time cocktail historian Martin Doudoroff explains on oldfashioned101.com that the original “cocktail” was a “hair-of-the-dog morning drink that tamed spirits with water, sugar and bitters.” When the term “cocktail” was co-opted to be synonymous with any and every mixed drink, the term “old fashioned” was bestowed upon this 17th century hangover cure.
Over the years, many iterations of this drink have come and gone. Wisconsin’s old fashioned of choice—made with brandy instead of whiskey—came about through Korbel Brandy’s involvement in the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. “Story has it that the Germans in Milwaukee took to Korbel in a big way,” John Dye, owner of Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge, told Thrillist in 2015. “As the rest of the country was starting to turn to whiskey, Wisconsin turned to brandy.” Indeed, the brandy old fashioned has seen a resurgence over the last few years.
The Shepherd Express hosts Old Fashioned Fest on Friday, March 9, at the Garage at the Harley-Davidson Museum (400 W. Canal St.), where the following list of 18 Wisconsin bars and restaurants will compete for the crown of Best Great Northern Distilling Whiskey Old Fashioned and Best Wollersheim Distillery Brandy Old Fashioned.
This event is currently sold out, but another Old Fashioned-themed event will be scheduled sometime soon. You can get on a list to be contacted as soon as tickets go on sale for our next Old Fashioned event by visiting shepherdexpress.com/oldfashionedevent.
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Amilinda (Brandy)
315 E Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202While Spain and Portugal may be a world away from the traditional Northern Wisconsin supper clubs that have informed our views on the brandy old fashioned over the years, Amilinda brings a worldly take on this Wisconsin-born treasure. The Wisconsin Avenue favorite will bring the same attention to detail that their food is known for to the art of making old fashioneds.
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Boone & Crockett (Whiskey)
Boone & Crockett has become synonymous with the old fashioned in certain Milwaukee circles. While the Bay View (soon to be Walker’s Point) craft cocktail bar has a rotating menu of specialty drinks, Boone has become a destination for both brandy and whiskey old fashioneds. With their impending move to the former Hot Water Wherehouse space (818 S. Water St.), Boone will have even more space to serve their special cocktails.
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Camp Bar (Whiskey)
525 E Menomonee Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202While it’s impossible to perfectly recreate the atmosphere of a classic northern Wisconsin bar, Camp has come about as close as you can get. The wooden walls are lined with hunting and fishing signs, taxidermy animals are on display throughout, and perhaps most importantly, several excellently crafted old fashioneds highlight their drink menu. If a getaway weekend up north is not an option for you, Camp is the next best thing.
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Crave (Whiskey)
Located in Campbellsport, Wis., Crave is a modern gastropub that specializes in craft beer, craft cocktails and food made with a strong emphasis on locally sourced ingredients. While Crave emphasizes their beer selection on their menu, they also make a great old fashioned.
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Drink Wisconsinbly Pub (Brandy)
A bar that is dedicated to Wisconsin’s drinking culture needs to make a good old fashioned. It’s as simple as that. Luckily, Drink Wisconsinbly does not disappoint. Their love for the Badger State shines through their signature drink. With two options—one made with a handcrafted blend poured through a bubbler and another muddled with orange, cherry, cube sugar and bitters—there is something for everyone.
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Famous Dave’s (Whiskey)
What started as a small barbecue restaurant in Hayward, Wis., has grown to a nationwide chain of more than 150 restaurants in the 23 years since Dave Anderson founded Famous Dave’s. While the restaurant has greatly expanded, the Wisconsin roots are undeniable. This is evident in their old fashioned. While the pit master is the star of the show at Famous Dave’s, don’t count out the prowess of their bartenders.
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Five O’Clock Steakhouse (Brandy)
Five O’Clock Steakhouse, Milwaukee’s quintessential supper club, is the kind of place where it is a crime to order anything other than an old fashioned. The old fashioned serves as a special kind of appetizer at Five O’Clock because of the way in which you are served: ordering your complete dinner order while sipping your drink at the bar. While it may serve as the appetizer, it is one you won’t soon forget.
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Hudson Business Lounge (Brandy)
In AMC’s 1960s period drama “Mad Men,” a group of advertising executives can frequently be seen taking long, boozy lunches under the guise of business meetings. The star of the show, Don Draper, is known for his affinity for the old fashioned. While the days of drinking to excess during the workday are largely over, Hudson Business Lounge still combines a space for business and a delicious old fashioned (though the drinking is more likely to be done after 5 p.m. these days).
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Jodi’s Hideout (Whiskey)
332 Buchanan St., Mayville, Wisconsin 53050Jodi’s Hideout is a newcomer to the scene, having just recently opened in the former Wally’s Hideout space in Mayville, Wis. This friendly neighborhood bar serves homemade pizza and simple appetizers, along with handcrafted cocktails. Owner Jodi Augustine said her signature old fashioned is made with homemade honey simple and locally sourced honey; it is muddled with dark, sweet cherries and blueberries that have been marinated in Maker’s Mark.
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Jonny Hammers (Brandy)
Pegged as a “Grateful Dead and Classic Rock” bar, Jonny Hammers is not the supper club atmosphere that many associate with a classic Wisconsin brandy old fashioned. But to judge this book by its cover would be a mistake. An old fashioned pairs just as well with bar food staples such as pizza and wings as it does with a medium-rare steak.
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Kegel’s Inn (Whiskey)
Kegel’s Inn is one of Milwaukee’s true fish fry institutions. The tradition dates back to the 1930s, when they would give you a free fish fry with the purchase of a beer. While beer is always a great option, what drink could possibly pair better with Wisconsin’s most beloved food than Wisconsin’s most beloved cocktail, the old fashioned? Luckily, Kegel’s Inn is adept at both.
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Mason Street Grill (Brandy)
As one of the standard-bearers of Milwaukee fine dining, Mason Street Grill does a lot of things right. The Pfister-connected steak and seafood restaurant boasts a stacked list of six martinis and 11 other specialty cocktails. Among them is the Barrel-Aged Old Fashioned: an uncomplicated concoction of bourbon, sugar and bitters. Some of life’s best pleasures are the most simple, and sometimes less is more.
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Milwaukee Sail Loft (Whiskey)
When you are looking out at one of the finest views any Milwaukee establishment has to offer, it’s only appropriate that you sip on one of the finest drinks Milwaukee has to offer. Milwaukee Sail Loft’s old fashioned pairs perfectly with their excellent seafood menu featuring panko-crusted sea bass and grilled Scottish salmon.
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Motor Bar & Restaurant (Whiskey)
Motor Bar & Restaurant will enjoy a bit of home court advantage at this year’s Old Fashioned Festival. As the resident restaurant of the Harley-Davidson Museum, Motor’s atmosphere reflects a sense of Wisconsin history that is kin to the old fashioned. Much like the motorcycles on display in the museum, Motor keeps it classic with a simple recipe featuring blood orange bitters.
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Riverwest Filling Station (Brandy)
Located on the corner of Keefe Avenue and Pierce Street, Riverwest Filling Station is a modern corner bar with an extensive beer list and an upscale-yet-approachable food menu. Take-home growlers have become the bar’s claim to fame over the years, but an excellent brandy old fashioned is a sleeper pick when you’re looking for a break from your favorite IPA.
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Stoneridge Inn (Brandy)
Stoneridge Inn is the definition of a traditional Wisconsin supper club. The restaurant was featured in the 2013 book Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old-Fashioned Experience by Ron Faiola and serves the mainstays like Black Angus steaks and hand-cut prime rib. The ingredients listed on their website for their old fashioned simply read “Trish’s Secret Recipe.” You can trust Trish to make it right.
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The Wicked Hop (Brandy)
This Third Ward bar and restaurant proudly claims to serve Milwaukee’s best Bloody Mary, and as their 2017 Shepherd Express Best of Milwaukee title in that category would suggest, it seems our readers would agree. But if you go beyond the foundational brunch cocktail and try the Hop’s brandy old fashioned, you will find that their bartenders’ expertise extends well beyond tomato juice and vodka.
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Twisted Willow (Whiskey)
Twisted Willow offers a true farm-to-table experience, with owner and chef Dan Wilken sourcing most of their produce from their own Grafton, Wis., farm. This dedication to quality also translates to their drink menu, where their mantra of “heirloom recipes and handcrafted cocktails with a modern Wisconsin twist” means an old fashioned that feels like a family member made it just for you.
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