Cocktail lovers and bourbon enthusiasts unite: the annual Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned Week is back. Running from November 5 to 14, the “week” (a generous serve at 10 days long) is dedicated to celebrating the history, influence and continued popularity of the Old Fashioned cocktail.
Over the 10 days, you’ll find a range of Australian bars, restaurants and bartenders paying homage to the classic mixed drink, serving up vintage versions and inventive reinterpretations among a host of other event exclusives. Besides the cocktail itself, there’ll be masterclasses, food pairings and Woodford Reserve educational events.
One of the world’s most popular classic cocktails, the Old Fashioned is a deceptively simple mix of bourbon or rye, bitters and sugar, stirred and served with a citrus garnish (generally orange peel). According to the common (but probably apocryphal) origin story, the drink first popped up at Kentucky’s Pendennis Club in the 1880s, before being popularised at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria not long after. It’s a straightforward drink that leaves plenty of room to get creative, so expect to try subtle twists and some more ambitious variations among the Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned Week offerings.
Wherever you are in Australia, Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned Week is fully stocked. On the lighter side, Old Fashioned fans in Perth will get to leave their evening drink to chance, with a Price Is Right style wheel at the Mechanics Institute letting punters spin to determine which cocktail is coming their way.
For those who can never decide between whiskey and beer, Websters Bar in Sydney is pairing a selection of rare stouts with a range of premium Woodford Reserve malts for its boilermaker event You Make Me Wanna Stout. Beer is also on the menu at Melbourne venue Sky Bar, where the versatile Woodford Reserve will go under the microscope for a closer look at boilermakers and modern cocktails.
If you’re looking to dive even deeper into the Old Fashioned in particular, The Atlantic restaurant in Southbank, Melbourne, is serving up a four-course lunch complete with matched Old Fashioned cocktails, each featuring a unique Woodford whiskey.
See the full list of bars participating in Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned Week:
New South Wales:
Jolene’s
Websters Bar
Victoria:
Botswana Butchery
Queensland:
Hota
Loose Moose
Whisky Boy Noosa
Lockwood Bar
Western Australia:
QT Perth
South Australia:
Fumo Blu
Marion Hotel
Nineteen Ten
Therapy Cocktail Bar
Society Bar
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Woodford Reserve.
