The Best Old Fashioneds in D.C.

Eater

27-05-2025

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Bourbon or rye, a sugar cube, and bitters. It's a simple drink that focuses on highlighting its base and is a great way to start a meal or end a night. But in a city with creative mixologists and a global palate, an Old Fashioned don't have to stay so, well, old fashioned.
Here's just a few places that are taking these three basic ingredients and trying something new: bringing in some sweet, some heat, and a lot more banana than you'd expect.
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Although Cana markets itself as a caipirinha bar (and believe me, they do the signature Brazilian cocktail well), they have one of the city's best new Old Fashioneds hidden away on their menu too. The bar strips back everything you know about the drink, leaving just the bourbon base (but finished with amburana) and then adding its own Brazilian flavors, including guava, banana, and the signature tamarind. Its namesake ingredient gives it a tangy caramel flavor that feels like it could easily be found on a beach in Rio. Signature Old Fashioned at Jack Rose Dining Saloon
Jack Rose, with its 2,700 different whiskeys, doesn't make an Old Fashioned. They make the Old Fashioned. Wild Turkey, demerara, and bitters. That's it. This is for the staunch traditionalist who wants an alcohol-forward drink and they want to have it in a dimly-lit room while sitting in a smooth leather booth. If you want to switch it up a bit though, they'd be happy to switch out the Wild Turkey for something else from their robust selection. Alchemist Old Fashioned at The Alchemist
Tucked away behind a hidden door, this speakeasy is secretly serving up a simple and smooth Old Fashioned with just a hint of pageantry. As the name would suggest, they love to play with fire at the Alchemist and their eponymous Old Fashioned runs with that idea. Served with a blowtorch and a skull head that looks like something out of Indiana Jones, the drink is smoked at the table while sugar and orange rind are charred beforehand. This brings out a real depth of flavor from every ingredient while keeping things quite traditional.
Daddy Issues at Service Bar
Recently re-anointed as one of North America's 50 best bars, Service Bar is sure to impress with not one but two Old Fashioned options. While those looking for something traditional and alcohol-forward may want to go with the Whiskey Whiskey, the Daddy Issues is something a bit more unique than your own father's preferred pour. A combination of black cardamom-infused Michter's, fig balsamic, and creme de cacao give it a smoky, verging on umami profile. It is not too sweet but still has the richness of a good dessert making for a great nightcap.
Cigar Old Fashioned at Bar Pilar
Bar Pilar promises to take you on a journey through Ernest Hemingway's life in Cuba and this Old Fashioned feels like the perfect way to honor The Sun Also Rises author. The focus here is on the blend of Nearest Green bourbon and Laphroaig scotch with just sugar, bitters, and a bit of cinnamon to round it out. It's a stiff drink and makes for a great sipper.
There is a reason that this is the first cocktail the wait staff at Korean hit Anju will tell you to order. Taking the light and gentle flavor of Japanese Iwai whiskey and washing it in sesame oil gives the drink a rounded nutty flavor with a creamy mouthfeel. This melts together perfectly with black tea-infused tart cherry juice and rhubarb bitters which makes the whole concoction very refreshing and just a little bit too easy to drink. If you're looking for something a little more classic, the Seoul Fashioned is also available but this one is just too special not to highlight. Capital One Dining Book primetime tables set aside exclusively for eligible Capital One customers. Capital One Dining is the presenting partner of the Eater app.
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With a spectacular Roman cocktail menu (available now through the end of the summer) it makes sense that beverage director Jonathan Henriquez insists on putting on a show for every guest. For the menu that took him over a year to put together, he made sure that every drink has a performative element and he made no exception here. As a small plume of smoke billows out from the top of the skull-shaped goblet, you'll notice a custom-made ice cube (courtesy of the Ice Queen) with a picture of Mount Vesuvius frozen into the center. Henriquez even made sure it was laminated so guests could bring it home as a memento. The drink itself leans on the delightfully smoky side thanks to a port-finished Woodinville bourbon, porcini mushrooms, and Ardberg Uigeadail. Capital One Dining Book primetime tables set aside exclusively for eligible Capital One customers. Capital One Dining is the presenting partner of the Eater app.
Draft Old Fashioned at Last Call Bar
If you're looking for a no-frills Old Fashioned that goes down smooth and is easy on the wallet, Last Call has what you need and the owners are so confident in it they keep it on draft all year round. It's alcohol-forward for those who don't want something too sweet and, at $8, is by the far the most affordable on this list.
Beijing Old Fashioned at Chang Chang
It might not be common to sip an Old Fashioned alongside mapo tofu, kung pao chicken, and fried rice but Chang Chang is not your common Szechuan restaurant. The wild banana chai-infused whiskey and cardamom clove syrup give the drink a balanced smoky sweet flavor that lends itself well to the restaurant's spicy menu.
Lakhan's Old Fashioned at Tapori
Co-owner Dante Datta and manager EJ Apaga take a yin and yang approach to developing their cocktail menu. While Dante is very interested in unique drinks you won't see anywhere else, EJ focuses on elevating the classics. Their perfect Old Fashioned falls more into the latter camp, taking Wild Turkey bourbon and marrying it with a slightly-spicy, smoky chaat masala and the delicious unrefined jaggery cane sugar that is popular across the Indian subcontinent.
Ni De Aqui Ni De Alla at Providencia
'Ni de aquí, Ni de allá' is the immigrant experience summarized in a single sentence, describing the complexity of being between two cultures. Co-owners Pedro Tobar and Danny Gonzalez turn this sentence into liquid form; blending together classic Kentucky bourbon with small-batch Oaxacan mezcal. Plantains give the drink a distinctly soft sweetness that radiates through every sip. It reminds us that Latin American ingredients enhance the more traditional flavors of our shared America.
Old Fashioned Habits at Dirty Habit
Beverage director Aniceto 'JR' Rena knows what you need to start the summer, blending Rowan's Creek bourbon and Uncle Nearest whiskey (named after the original distiller of Jack Daniels) with sassafras sugar and root beer bitters to make for something very refreshing on a hot day. While this gives the drink a subtle vanilla/caramel flavor, it's not overly sweet. Finished off with picked hon shimeji mushrooms, there's always a fun bite at the bottom of your glass (don't be afraid to use a finger to fish them out).
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Although Cana markets itself as a caipirinha bar (and believe me, they do the signature Brazilian cocktail well), they have one of the city's best new Old Fashioneds hidden away on their menu too. The bar strips back everything you know about the drink, leaving just the bourbon base (but finished with amburana) and then adding its own Brazilian flavors, including guava, banana, and the signature tamarind. Its namesake ingredient gives it a tangy caramel flavor that feels like it could easily be found on a beach in Rio.
Jack Rose, with its 2,700 different whiskeys, doesn't make an Old Fashioned. They make the Old Fashioned. Wild Turkey, demerara, and bitters. That's it. This is for the staunch traditionalist who wants an alcohol-forward drink and they want to have it in a dimly-lit room while sitting in a smooth leather booth. If you want to switch it up a bit though, they'd be happy to switch out the Wild Turkey for something else from their robust selection. Open in Google Maps
Foursquare
Tucked away behind a hidden door, this speakeasy is secretly serving up a simple and smooth Old Fashioned with just a hint of pageantry. As the name would suggest, they love to play with fire at the Alchemist and their eponymous Old Fashioned runs with that idea. Served with a blowtorch and a skull head that looks like something out of Indiana Jones, the drink is smoked at the table while sugar and orange rind are charred beforehand. This brings out a real depth of flavor from every ingredient while keeping things quite traditional. Open in Google Maps
Foursquare
Recently re-anointed as one of North America's 50 best bars, Service Bar is sure to impress with not one but two Old Fashioned options. While those looking for something traditional and alcohol-forward may want to go with the Whiskey Whiskey, the Daddy Issues is something a bit more unique than your own father's preferred pour. A combination of black cardamom-infused Michter's, fig balsamic, and creme de cacao give it a smoky, verging on umami profile. It is not too sweet but still has the richness of a good dessert making for a great nightcap. Open in Google Maps
Foursquare
Bar Pilar promises to take you on a journey through Ernest Hemingway's life in Cuba and this Old Fashioned feels like the perfect way to honor The Sun Also Rises author. The focus here is on the blend of Nearest Green bourbon and Laphroaig scotch with just sugar, bitters, and a bit of cinnamon to round it out. It's a stiff drink and makes for a great sipper. Book with OpenTable
Book with OpenTable Open in Google Maps
Foursquare
There is a reason that this is the first cocktail the wait staff at Korean hit Anju will tell you to order. Taking the light and gentle flavor of Japanese Iwai whiskey and washing it in sesame oil gives the drink a rounded nutty flavor with a creamy mouthfeel. This melts together perfectly with black tea-infused tart cherry juice and rhubarb bitters which makes the whole concoction very refreshing and just a little bit too easy to drink. If you're looking for something a little more classic, the Seoul Fashioned is also available but this one is just too special not to highlight. Open in Google Maps
Foursquare
With a spectacular Roman cocktail menu (available now through the end of the summer) it makes sense that beverage director Jonathan Henriquez insists on putting on a show for every guest. For the menu that took him over a year to put together, he made sure that every drink has a performative element and he made no exception here. As a small plume of smoke billows out from the top of the skull-shaped goblet, you'll notice a custom-made ice cube (courtesy of the Ice Queen) with a picture of Mount Vesuvius frozen into the center. Henriquez even made sure it was laminated so guests could bring it home as a memento. The drink itself leans on the delightfully smoky side thanks to a port-finished Woodinville bourbon, porcini mushrooms, and Ardberg Uigeadail. Open in Google Maps
Foursquare
If you're looking for a no-frills Old Fashioned that goes down smooth and is easy on the wallet, Last Call has what you need and the owners are so confident in it they keep it on draft all year round. It's alcohol-forward for those who don't want something too sweet and, at $8, is by the far the most affordable on this list. Open in Google Maps
Foursquare
It might not be common to sip an Old Fashioned alongside mapo tofu, kung pao chicken, and fried rice but Chang Chang is not your common Szechuan restaurant. The wild banana chai-infused whiskey and cardamom clove syrup give the drink a balanced smoky sweet flavor that lends itself well to the restaurant's spicy menu. Open in Google Maps
Foursquare
Co-owner Dante Datta and manager EJ Apaga take a yin and yang approach to developing their cocktail menu. While Dante is very interested in unique drinks you won't see anywhere else, EJ focuses on elevating the classics. Their perfect Old Fashioned falls more into the latter camp, taking Wild Turkey bourbon and marrying it with a slightly-spicy, smoky chaat masala and the delicious unrefined jaggery cane sugar that is popular across the Indian subcontinent.
'Ni de aquí, Ni de allá' is the immigrant experience summarized in a single sentence, describing the complexity of being between two cultures. Co-owners Pedro Tobar and Danny Gonzalez turn this sentence into liquid form; blending together classic Kentucky bourbon with small-batch Oaxacan mezcal. Plantains give the drink a distinctly soft sweetness that radiates through every sip. It reminds us that Latin American ingredients enhance the more traditional flavors of our shared America.
Beverage director Aniceto 'JR' Rena knows what you need to start the summer, blending Rowan's Creek bourbon and Uncle Nearest whiskey (named after the original distiller of Jack Daniels) with sassafras sugar and root beer bitters to make for something very refreshing on a hot day. While this gives the drink a subtle vanilla/caramel flavor, it's not overly sweet. Finished off with picked hon shimeji mushrooms, there's always a fun bite at the bottom of your glass (don't be afraid to use a finger to fish them out). Book with OpenTable
Book with OpenTable Open in Google Maps
Foursquare