Name: Irish Whiskey Old Fashioned Cocktail
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 oz Irish Whiskey; 0.5 oz Martini Rosso Vermouth; 0.5 oz Grand Marnier; 2 dashs Orange Bitters; 2 dashes Angostura Bitters; Orange Peel

Learn how to make the best Irish Old Fashioned cocktail.

Ireland is home to many award winning whiskey brands that taste great when shaken into a classic Old Fashioned cocktail (with a twist!)

Prepare this Irish whiskey cocktail recipe for a festive holiday drink best enjoyed during the fall at Thanksgiving or winter during the holiday Christmas season. And don’t forget St. Patrick’s Day!

Our homemade Irish Old Fashioned features premium Irish Whiskey, Sweet Vermouth, Grand Marnier, Orange Bitters, Angostura Bitters and orange peel.

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Table of Contents

Travel The World to Taste Whiskey

There’s no better way to familiarize yourself with the best Irish Old Fashioned cocktail recipe then by planning a vacation to visit the world’s best whiskey distilleries.

Some of the world’s most famous whiskey/whisky distilleries can be found in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The booming whiskey trend has also produced a high demand for premium whiskey produced by distilleries in Canada and America.

We’ve visited a handful of whiskey distilleries in Europe as well as a chic whiskey cocktail bar at Multnomah Whiskey Library in Portland and Stranahans in Denver.

In Scotland we enjoyed a scenic road trip to the Isle of Islay, which is best known for its famous Islay Scotch whisky distilleries. If you’re looking to experience the best things to do on the Isle of Islay visit award-winning distilleries like Bruichladdich, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Ardbeg and Bowmore.

We also suggest sipping local Scottish whisky on the Isle of Skye, Glasgow, Edinburgh and The Highlands. One of our favourite things to do in Edinburgh is the The Scotch Whisky Experience.

Fly over to Ireland and you’ll find plenty of fine whiskey produced by famous distilleries like Jamesons and Bushmills. There’s no better way to educate yourself about Irish Whiskey then by taking a tour of Jameson Distillery near Cork and Bushmills along the Causeway Coast. They’re both worth a day trip from Dublin.

Looking to plan the ultimate road trip of Canada to discover the best Canadian whisky?

Our favourite Canadian whiskies include Lot 40 from Ontario, Masterson’s from Alberta, Caribou Crossing from Quebec, Goodridge & Williams from British Columbia and Glenora from Nova Scotia.

Visit Ireland's Jameson Distillery near Cork to sip the best Irish Old Fashioned. — Visit Ireland’s Jameson Distillery near Cork to sip the best Irish Old Fashioned.

Best Irish Whiskey

Traditional Old Fashioned drinks are quick and easy to prepare. In our contemporary take on the classic cocktail we’ve included Irish Whiskey, Sweet Vermouth, Grand Marnier, Orange Bitters, Angostura Bitters and orange peel.

If it’s your first time making a homemade Irish Whiskey Old Fashioned you’ll want to sample a selection of bottles distilled on the Emerald Isle.

Our favourite Irish whiskies include:

Jameson Irish Whiskey: The world’s most popular Irish whiskey brand. Expect smooth and toasty notes of malted barley with hints of sugar.
Bushmills Original: The original bottling of this classic Irish whiskey, its lighter palette speaks of fresh berries and subtle vanilla notes that make it a perfect starting point for those who want to build their understanding of Irish whiskey.
Tullamore D.E.W. Original: This blended Irish whiskey is a perennial favorite for its smooth finish and versatile, citrus-forward palette that makes it a perfect pick for fruitier cocktails like a classic sour.
Redbreast: It’s velvety and fruity, and has just enough oak to add character and flavor without getting too woody. It’s rich, spicy and full of dried red fruit.
Powers Gold Label: This heavier style of a blended Irish whiskey is great for all types of cocktails. Think honey, golden raisins, and hay.
Green Spot: One the few single pot-stilled Irish whiskeys aged 7-10 years. The whiskey matures in a combination of new bourbon and refill bourbon casks as well as sherry casks.
The Sexton: Produced from triple distilled 100% malted barley, and aged in former sherry butts. The dark hexagonal bottle featuring a spooky skeleton is our fave!

Our easy Irish Whiskey Old Fashioned recipe requires a shot glass, cocktail shaker and ice.

Best Bartender Tools & Cocktail Equipment

Before hosting a swanky Irish Old Fashioned cocktail soiree you’ll need to ensure you have the best bartender tools and cocktail equipment.

Cocktail Kit: cocktail kits are the perfect gift for newbie mixology fans as they include basic bartender tools like a jigger, shaker and spoon.
Cocktail Shaker: a bartenders best friend. Purchase a premium cocktail shaker to muddle or shake up your favourite pink gin cocktails.
Cocktail Glassware: make sure your bar is stocked with a selection of unique glassware to show off your favourite cocktail creations.
Hawthorne Strainer: this unique strainer features tightly wound coils and perforated holes. It keeps ice and other large ingredients like lime wedges in your cocktail shaker rather than in the glass.
Bar Spoons: slender and long bar spoons are a must-have when stirring drinks.
Bottle Opener: easily open bottles of beer or cider with the flick of your wrist or purchase a corkscrew for fine wine.
Pouring Spout: once you’ve opened a new bottle of gin insert these affordable pourers to make cocktail assembly a breeze.
Cutting Board: purchase a petite cutting board for your bar to slice garnishes or citrus wedges like lime, orange, lemon or grapefruit.
Ice Bucket: chill bottles of gin quickly in an ice bucket or keep by the bar when muddling gin mixers into cool creations.
Ice Crusher: fans of the Mint Julep love an ice crusher.
Ice Cube Kit: we suggest purchasing a selection of ice cube trays. Silicone styles are our favourite as they’re easy to clean and are available in various shapes and sizes.
Jigger: use a jigger to accurately measure spirits, juices, syrups and shrubs.
Juicer: invest in an electronic juicer or buy an affordable hand-held to easily juice fresh citrus like lemons and limes.
Muddler: fans of the Mojito love a sturdy muddler to mix mint and lime. Muddler’s are handy for any cocktail featuring ingredients that need a pounding like fresh herbs or citrus wedges.
Citrus Peeler & Zester: adorn your craft cocktails with a thick citrus peel or finer ribbons of lime or lemon zest.
Rimmer: Bloody Mary and Caesar lovers should outfit their bar with a handy rimmer for salting and sugaring glassware.

Ingredients you'll need to make our Irish Whiskey Old Fashioned recipe. — Ingredients you’ll need to make our Irish Whiskey Old Fashioned recipe.

Irish Whiskey Old Fashioned Cocktail Ingredients

Our favourite Irish whiskey cocktail is made with the best fresh ingredients:

Irish Whiskey: we suggest using Bushmills Original, Jameson or Green Spot.
Sweet Vermouth: a small splash of Martini Rosso creates a well balanced libation.
Grand Marnier: This elegant orange flavoured cognac offers a subtle citrus note and sweetness in the glass.
Bitters: add a few dashes of bitters to round out your cocktail. We suggest Angostura Bitters and Orange Bitters.
Orange Peel: use a vegetable peeler to shave fresh slices of orange peel to perfume and decorate the glass.

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Prepare our Irish Old Fashioned cocktail recipe with Bushmills, Powers or Green Spot.

Irish Old Fashioned Cocktail Tips

This Irish Whiskey Old Fashioned recipe is easy to make at home, ready to serve in under 10 minutes.

We love serving Whiskey Old Fashioned cocktails in the fall and winter months as they do a great job at warming you up on a cold day! The recipe is a real crowd pleaser at holiday parties and Thanksgiving dinner.

If you’re hosting a St. Patrick’s Day party, feel free to add a few drops of green food colouring to make the cocktail extra festive.

Our Irish Whiskey Old Fashioned recipe serves one person. If you’re hosting a large gathering feel free to multiply the ingredients by the number of guests and muddle the drink in a punch bowl or jug rather than a cocktail shaker.

Garnish your Irish Old Fashioned with fresh orange peel.

We love our Irish Old Fashioned drink at Thanksgiving, Christmas and St. Patrick's Day. — We love our Irish Old Fashioned drink at Thanksgiving, Christmas and St. Patrick’s Day.

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Serve the Irish whiskey cocktail in a handsome rocks glass.

If this whiskey cocktail is too strong for you feel free to add an ice cube or cold water.

Irish Old Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail Recipe

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Irish Whiskey Old Fashioned Cocktail

Learn how to make an Irish Old Fashioned Cocktail. Our easy homemade drink recipe features Irish Whiskey, Grand Marnier, Vermouth & Bitters.

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Irish

Keyword: Irish Old Fashioned

Servings:

Calories: 200kcal

Equipment

Cocktail Shaker
Shot Glass
Rocks glass
vegetable peeler

Ingredients

2 oz Irish Whiskey
0.5 oz Martini Rosso Vermouth
0.5 oz Grand Marnier
2 dashs Orange Bitters
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Orange Peel

Instructions

In a cocktail shaker, add 2 ice cubes, Irish whiskey, Vermouth, Grand Marnier and bitters.
Shake contents of the cocktail shaker for 45 seconds – 1 minute. Pour contents of the cocktail shaker into a rocks glass.
Garnish Irish Whiskey Old Fashioned Cocktail with a slice of orange peel.

Nutrition

Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.5g | Sodium: 1105mg | Potassium: 1mg | Sugar: 11.4g

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