Elijah Craig Bourbon has announced that its annual Old Fashioned Week will come to the UK for the first time this October. The event was first launched in 2020 in the US, with Canada joining in 2022.
From 11–20 October, bars across the UK will serve their own take on an Elijah Craig Old Fashioned. Around 100 bars are expected to take part — visit oldfashionedweek.com for more details.
The event is in partnership with charity The Drinks Trust, which provides financial, wellbeing, and development support to members of the drinks and hospitality industry. In aid of the charity, Elijah Craig will donated £1 for every Old Fashioned sold (up to £10,000) to The Drinks Trust.
In the US and Canada, Old Fashioned week will also raise money for charities. In the US, Elijah Criag has pledge US$1 for every Old Fashioned sold (up to US$100,000) to the Southern Smoke Foundation. In Canada, CA$1 from each Old Fashioned (up to CA$25,000) will go to the Bartenders Benevolent Fund.
As part of Old Fashioned Week, UK bartenders can submit their own take on an Old Fashioned for consideration in a national competition. Judge Simon Difford will name the "ultimate Old Fashioned innovator", and the winner will receive a cash prize of £1,000 and have their cocktail published to cocktail website Difford's Guide. Entries are open until 1 November 2024 — for more details visit the Old Fashioned Week website.
Heaven Hill Portfolio mixologist Lynn House commented: “For bartenders, whiskey connoisseurs, and cocktail fans, the Old Fashioned is merely a jumping off point: a blank canvas that invites experimentation and challenges perceptions of what the cocktail is — and what it could be.”
To try your hand at making an Old Fashioned at home, follow the recipe provided by Elijah Craig.
Elijah Craig Old Fashioned
Ingredients:
10ml simple syrup
3 dashes Angostura bitters
Orange twist
Cocktail cherry (optional)
In a mixing glass add Elijah Craig Bourbon, bitters, simple syrup, and ice. Stir until well chilled. Strain cocktail over a large ice cube in a rocks glass. Garnish with a twist of orange peel and an optional cocktail cherry.
