Oaxaca Old Fashioned
Reposado tequila and mezcal with agave syrup and bitters. An Old Fashioned rebuilt on agave, and one of the best-known cocktails of the 2000s revival.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Add the reposado, mezcal, agave syrup and bitters to a mixing glass.
Fill with ice and stir for 25-30 seconds.
Strain over one large cube in a rocks glass.
Express an orange peel over the surface — flame it if you like the theatre — and drop it in.
A thoughtful finish
- Three parts reposado to one part mezcal is the ratio that made this drink famous. Mezcal is the seasoning here, not the base.
- Agave syrup is sweeter than simple syrup by volume, so a quarter-ounce is plenty. Thin it 1:1 with water if yours is very thick.
- Reposado rather than blanco. The oak is what makes the Old Fashioned template work — a blanco version is bright and thin by comparison.
Common mistakes
- Reversing the ratio and leading with mezcal, which buries the tequila and the bitters.
- Using a mixto tequila. With four ingredients and no citrus, a non-agave tequila is painfully obvious.
- Pouring agave syrup as you would simple syrup, which makes it cloying.
A few good questions.
Why split the base?
Because mezcal at a full two ounces overwhelms sugar and bitters, while a half-ounce adds smoke as an aroma and a finish. The split is the insight that made the drink a classic.
Can I use añejo instead of reposado?
Yes, and it makes a rounder, oakier drink closer to a bourbon Old Fashioned. Reposado is the specified and better-balanced choice.
Is flaming the peel necessary?
No. Expressing it gets you most of the aroma. Flaming caramelises the oils slightly and looks good; it is not part of the balance.
What agave syrup should I use?
A plain light agave nectar. If it is very viscous, cut it 1:1 with warm water so it incorporates properly in a cold stirred drink.
Variations
- Old Fashioned — Whiskey, sugar and bitters.
- Maple Old Fashioned — Maple syrup instead of sugar.
- Mezcal Negroni — Mezcal, Campari and sweet vermouth.
- Rum Old Fashioned — Aged rum with demerara syrup.
Where it comes from
2007 · New York City · Phil Ward · Death & Co
Phil Ward created it at Death & Co in New York in 2007, and it became the signature drink of his later bar Mayahuel and one of the most-copied cocktails of the modern agave revival. The structure is exactly an Old Fashioned — spirit, sugar, bitters, a large cube, an expressed citrus peel — with reposado tequila and mezcal split as the base and agave syrup in place of sugar. Ward’s split-base approach, using mezcal as a quarter of the spirit rather than all of it, is the technique that most shaped how bars now use mezcal.
Sources
- Phil Ward / Death & Co, New York, 2007 (bartender attribution)
- Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails, 2014 (book)
- Robert Simonson, A Proper Drink, 2016 (book)
Strength. About 1.42 US standard drinks at an estimated 30.7% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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