The official origin of the Old Fashioned is debatable, but the prevailing story is that the drink first started being served in the early 1800’s, but the name came about in the mid-1800’s as a reaction to more complicated cocktails that were becoming popular at the time, i.e... adding Chartreuse, Absinthe, Curaçao or other liqueurs.

 

Some traditionalists started asking for a cocktail in the old fashioned style - spirit, sugar, water, and bitters. Some say that the drink originated in Louisville, Kentucky in 1880 at a private social club called The Pendennis Club. The recipe is linked to bartender and bourbon distillery, James E. Pepper. Rumors link Pepper to The Pendennis Club before he allegedly brought the cocktail to the Waldorf-Astoria hotel bar in New York City.