Old Fashioned Week 2021 celebrates the classic cocktail in old and new ways

Old Fashioned Week 2021 will see one of the world’s most beloved cocktails celebrated in over 20 bars and restaurants across Singapore this November.

If you’re a big fan of the Old Fashioned like we are, you’d be glad to know that the annual Old Fashioned Week is back again this year. Old Fashioned Week 2021 will run from 5 to 14 November 2021, what presenting brand Woodford Reserve calls “10 dazzling days of bourbon”. And what bourbon bliss it’ll be! In Singapore, over 20 bars and restaurants have signed up to participate in the global movement.

For those not too familiar with the Old Fashioned, the bourbon-based cocktail was among the earliest of cocktails. It was simply made too, a concoction of bourbon, bitters, sugar, and just a touch of water to dissolve the sugar. It was later popularised when distiller James E. Pepper introduced it to high society at Waldorf Astoria New York in 1881.

Today the Old Fashioned is bigger than before. It’s also evolved greatly beyond the classic classic whiskey-bitters-sugar combination, spawning many different versions. They range from those that use a different spirit base – Rum Old Fashioneds have been in vogue in recent years – to those employing modern redistilling techniques for a clarified version.

And so, Old Fashioned Week 2021 will let cocktail lovers not only experience the Old Fashioned in its truest form, they’ll also get to experience unique twists of the old classic across those 20-plus participating venues.

Confirmed venues participating in Old Fashioned Week 2021:

• • The 3 Peas
  • ATOUT
  • Bar Square (Andaz Singapore)
  • Bedrock Bar & Grill
  • Bedrock Origins
  • Burnt Ends
  • Lawry’s
  • Legends Bar (Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore)
  • Firangi Superstar
  • FOC
  • FOC Sentosa
  • Horse’s Mouth
  • Komyuniti (YOTEL Singapore)
  • Manhattan (Regent Singapore)
  • Meatsmith
  • Meatsmith Little India
  • MO Bar (Mandarin Oriental Singapore)
  • Mr Stork (Andaz Singapore)
  • The Old Man Singapore
  • The Secret Mermaid
  • Studio 1939 (Potato Head Singapore)
  • VUE
  • Wolfgang’s Steakhouse
  • Wooloomooloo Steakhouse

For example, award-winning MO Bar at Mandarin Oriental Singapore is offering the Delhi Old Fashioned, which incorporates notes of Indian spices from the use of cumin and coriander. Then there’s the Salty Old Man from The Old Man Singapore, which uses salted fino sherry to give the classic a savoury spin. For something truly wild, the Akatsuki over at Studio 1939 in Potato Head Singapore is a creamy dessert-like concoction made with the addition of red bean and cream.

But what we really like about Old Fashioned Week this year is how many restaurants are also participating. Wooloomooloo Steakhouse is offering its Wooloomooloo Old Fashioned, a fruity take with the addition of pear liqueur, while rooftop bar and grill VUE has the similarly fruit-driven Touch of Mandy, which uses Woodford Rye that’s been infused with pineapple. Komyuniti at YOTEL Singapore too has its Cherry & Herb OF, which interestingly converts the classic into a tall drink, while Rox at the Legends Bar in Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore gives it a Thai influence with kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass and galangal.

So remember, if you’re hitting a bar this November make it during Old Fashioned Week. And order an Old Fashioned, whether it be the original, or a modern interpretation.

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