How to Make a True Wisconsin Old Fashioned

A Brandy Bonus

I have an O-B-S-E-S-S-I-O-N with Wisconsin Supper Club Style Brandy Old Fashioned’s.

My parents have a home in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan which is right over the border from Wisconsin, the home of The Brandy Old Fashioned. Last year I even did an Old Fashioned Crawl through the Northwoods and wrote a blog post about it called “A Waitress Named Diane”.

It was fantastic.

Since I cannot permanently live in the Northwoods (although I wish I could) I decided I needed to perfect the Brandy Old Fashioned at home.

The drink itself does require more than a few ingredients, but they are fairly inexpensive and easy to find.

I headed over to my local Binny’s Beverage Depot and was able to find everything I needed to make this Wisconsin Classic Cocktail.

The ingredients are VERY important and if you don’t have them all, your Old Fashioned will be lacking.

I prefer a Brandy Old Fashioned, sweet and with olives. You can also order a Brandy Old Fashioned Sour and either drink can be garnished with cherries and orange slices.

There’s a full, printable recipe card at the end of this post, but all you really need is good quality brandy, sugar cubes, bitters, cherries, olives, orange slices, and sprite.

Oh! And crushed ice!

The drink is fun to make.

I would suggest getting a good muddler- I bought mine at Binny’s- and a long handled bar spoon.

The steps are easy. You start with two sugar cubes at the bottom of a rocks glass and shake 4 to 6 dashes of bitters on top. 

Next you’ll muddle the cubes and then add an orange slice and maraschino cherry.

Now release the oils from the orange rind by muddling it along with the cherry.

Next stir in two shots of brandy.

Add your crushed ice until the glass is 3/4 full and stir well.

Add a splash of Sprite with a little more crushed ice.

Finally you’ll garnish with an orange slice, cherry, and two olives or whatever you prefer.

There you have it! A perfect Brandy Old Fashioned.

It is hard to describe how this drink tastes. If it is made perfectly it tastes like a grown up Dr. Pepper, to me.

The crushed ice is also a key ingredient. I used a Ziploc bag to crush up the ice with a meat tenderizer. I will be ordering a Lewis Ice Bag and Mallet.

While it is not exactly the same as sitting in the picturesque Northwoods in a classic Supper Club, it comes pretty close.

You will also feel very grown up sipping this drink. It makes for a perfect cocktail hour and pairs well with a Meat and Potatoes type of Dinner!

If you make a Brandy Old Fashioned, post a picture of it on Facebook and tag me @tipsywife or on Instagram @thetipsyhousewife.

For more great cocktail recipes, check out this frozen Hurricane recipe.