The Wisconsin Old Fashioned is Wisconsin's own cocktail: brandy instead of whiskey, muddled orange and cherry, and a splash of soda on top. At a supper club the bartender asks how you want it, sweet, sour or press, and the garnish may well be a pickled mushroom instead of a cherry. Our whole pickled crimini are made for that pick.
Here is how it differs from the classic, the recipe, what sweet, sour and press mean, and the garnishes.
How a Wisconsin Old Fashioned is different
A classic Old Fashioned is whiskey, sugar, bitters and an orange peel, stirred and served without soda. The Wisconsin version changes almost everything:
- Brandy, not whiskey. Korbel is the traditional choice. A whiskey version exists too, but brandy is the default.
- Muddled fruit. An orange slice and a cherry are muddled in the glass with the sugar and bitters.
- Topped with soda. Lemon-lime soda for sweet, grapefruit soda for sour, or a mix with seltzer for press. That makes it longer and lighter than the classic.
- A garnish with options. Cherry and orange are the classic, but plenty of people choose olives or pickled mushrooms instead.
The pickled mushroom garnish
It sounds strange until you try it: a sour Old Fashioned is sharp and bitter, and a pickled mushroom on the pick gives you something savory to eat at the end, the way an olive does in a martini.
The mushroom you want is firm, so it holds on the pick, and not so strongly flavored that it fights the brandy. Our pickled crimini are whole caps in a white wine vinegar brine with garlic and thyme. Spear one, or two halves of a larger cap.
"I was mostly worried they would be mushy, but the texture is actually really nice and firm."
— Evan B., Golden Grove customer
Keep a jar in the fridge next to the brandy and you have the garnish for a whole season of Friday nights. Start with a 2-Pack of crimini, or put crimini and king oyster together in a Build Your Variety Pack for the Bloody Marys too.
Wisconsin Old Fashioned recipe
Makes one drink in about 5 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 sugar cube or 1 tsp sugar
- 3 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 orange slice
- 1 maraschino cherry, for a sweet
- 2 oz (60 ml) brandy
- Lemon-lime soda (sweet), grapefruit soda (sour), or half lemon-lime soda and half seltzer (press)
- To garnish: an orange slice and cherry, or a pickled crimini on a pick
Method
- Put the sugar, bitters, orange slice and cherry in a rocks glass and muddle them gently, just enough to release the juice.
- Fill the glass with ice.
- Add the brandy and stir.
- Top with your soda, sweet, sour or press, and stir once more.
- Garnish: orange and cherry for a sweet, or a pickled crimini on a pick for a sour or press.
Sweet, sour or press?
Sweet
Topped with lemon-lime soda. The most common order, usually garnished with an orange slice and a cherry.
Sour
Topped with grapefruit soda or sour mix. Sharper and less sweet, and the one a savory garnish suits best.
Press
Usually half lemon-lime soda and half seltzer or club soda, though bars define it differently. In between: lighter and less sweet than a sweet, softer than a sour.
Why brandy?
Nobody knows for sure. One popular story credits Wisconsin's many German immigrants; another says brandy was simply easier to get after World War II, when other spirits ran short. Either way, it stuck. A 2023 resolution in the Wisconsin State Assembly notes that the state buys over half of all the Korbel brandy sold in the US, and it lists pickled mushrooms among the drink's usual garnishes.
Old Fashioned garnish ideas
Orange and cherry
The classic for a sweet: an orange slice and a maraschino cherry, often on the same pick.
Pickled mushrooms
The savory supper club choice, best with a sour or press. A pickled crimini on a pick.
Olives
Green olives, plain or stuffed, are the other savory option.
Pickled Brussels sprouts
Some bars stock them for regulars who want something different.
Orange peel
For a classic whiskey Old Fashioned, a twist of orange peel expressed over the glass.
Making Old Fashioneds for a crowd
Mix the brandy and bitters in a pitcher ahead of time, about 2 oz of brandy and 3 dashes of bitters per drink. When guests arrive, muddle sugar and fruit in each glass, add ice and the brandy mix, and top each one with the soda they choose. Set out a small bowl of pickled mushrooms and one of cherries, and let everyone pick.
Wisconsin Old Fashioned questions
How is a Wisconsin Old Fashioned different?
It is made with brandy instead of whiskey, the fruit is muddled in the glass, and it is topped with soda: sweet, sour or press.
What is a Wisconsin Old Fashioned made of?
Brandy, sugar, Angostura bitters, a muddled orange slice and cherry, ice, and lemon-lime soda, grapefruit soda or seltzer.
What brandy is best for a Wisconsin Old Fashioned?
Korbel is the classic Wisconsin choice. Any smooth, affordable California brandy works.
Why do people put pickled mushrooms in an Old Fashioned?
In Wisconsin, a savory garnish like olives or pickled mushrooms is a common alternative to the orange and cherry: a salty, sharp bite to finish the drink.
The short version
Brandy, muddled orange and cherry, bitters and sugar, topped with soda: sweet, sour or press. Order it sour and try it with a pickled crimini on the pick. For more savory drinks, see our Bloody Mary bar and garnish ideas and the pickled mushroom martini. When you are ready, start with a 2-Pack of pickled crimini.