Best Old Overholt Cocktail Recipes

This Old Overholt Cocktail recipe is a perfect drink to sip while watching the ball game with friends or during a kickback after work. 

You also can use it as a base for many things, like whiskey sour and mojitos, if you want.

Finding yourself on this page means you want to learn about the Old Overholt Cocktail recipe, so keep reading. 

In this guide, we will discuss the ingredients needed to make the Old Overholt Cocktail recipe and how to make it. 

Also, other Old Overholt Cocktail recipes will be analyzed. 

We won’t take your time; it’s just a five minutes read! 

What is the Old Overholt Cocktail?

Old Overholt is a rye whiskey that has been made in Pennsylvania since the late 1800s. 

The old overholt distillery was founded by Casper F. Overholt, who opened it in 1810. 

This cocktail was created in the 1930s by Harry Craddock and became popular during Prohibition because it came with a built-in chaser of water.  

It’s traditionally made with bourbon or rye whiskey, sugar or simple syrup (or both), bitters, and water.

How To Make Old Overholt Cocktail 

Ingredients Needed

  • 1 ounce rye whiskey
  • ½ ounce Simple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon angostura bitters 

Instructions on how to make

  • Fill a mixing glass with ice cubes.
  • Add 1 ounce of Rye Whiskey, 1 teaspoon of Angostura bitters, and ½ ounce of Simple syrup to the glass. 
  • Stir well for approximately 20 seconds or until chilled.
  • Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice cubes and garnish with an orange twist if you like.

Expert Tips 

  • The Cocktail has a lot of rye flavor but not quite enough bitters. 

Adding a few orange bitters can really bring out the orange notes in the whiskey and make your cocktail much more balanced.

  • You can add some ice cubes for a smoother drink to make it taste smoother and richer.

The ice will help dilute the drink and make it taste less harsh on your palate. 

  • You can also try putting in some crushed ice or filling your glass half full with water before pouring in the whiskey and letting it sit for 5 minutes before drinking.
  • Adding fresh lemon juice will complement all the spicy rye flavors, as well as enhance that sweet vanilla note from the bourbon. 

Nutrition Facts per serving

  • Calories: 154
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Sodium: 5 mg
  • Carbohydrates: 1 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 0 g
  • Sugars: 1 g 

What To Serve With Old Overholt Cocktail

This cocktail has some serious flavor so that you can serve it:

  • Cheese platters with olives and nuts
  • Meat and cheese boards
  • Smoked salmon crostinis
  • Roasted vegetables with goat cheese 

Other Favorite Ways to use Old Overholt cocktail recipes.

In this section, we will talk about 6 other old overholt recipes that you may be interested in. 

1. Whiskey Sour cocktail with Old Overholt

This drink was originally made with rye, remaining everything else equal; the cocktail will be less sweet with Old Overholt. 

To make this, you need 

  • 2 ounces Old Overholt
  • ¾ ounces of freshly squeezed lime juice
  • ½ ounce simple(sugar) syrup
  • 3 dashes of Angostura bitters

Then 

  • Shake the mixture of Old Overholt, lemon juice, and simple syrup with ice for around 20 seconds. 
  • Strain into a rocks glass with fresh and large ice. 
  • Drop 3 dashes of Angostura bitters into your drink, and your drink is ready. 

2. Boston Sour cocktail with Old Overholt

If you like whiskey sour cocktails, you should definitely try the Boston sour.  

They have the same recipes, but Boston sour requires egg white as an additive. 

The taste is a little smoother than the whiskey sour, and an egg white creates a frothy foam on top of the drink. 

To do this, you have to remember to shake all of the ingredients without ice for around 35 seconds first; then, you can put ice and shake it again before straining it into your glass. 

3. Sazerac cocktail with Old Overholt

This recipe was first invented by Antoine Amedee Peychaud, a New Orleans apothecary, in 1838 with a special elixir (bitters) and a popular French cognac ingredient. 

In this recipe, the basic ingredient will absolutely be American rye whiskey, and the typical one will be Old Overholt.

Get 

  • 2 ounces simple(sugar) syrup
  • 0.5 teaspoon Herbsaint liqueur
  • 10 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters
  • 1 lemon peel
  • 1.5 ounces Old Overholt 

To make this recipe,

  • Pour ice and water into an old-fashioned glass, then wait for it to cool down while preparing the rest.
  • Stir the mixture; simple(sugar) syrup, Old Overholt, ice, and bitters in a different glass (around 25 seconds).
  • Pour the ice water out, pour Herbsaint and rinse the glass, then dump it out. 
  • Strain the mixture into the glass. 
  • Twist the lemon peel off and squeeze it over your glass to release its essence, and it’s ready to serve.

4. Manhattan cocktail with Old Overholt

Manhattan only requires simple ingredients and tools, and making it at home is relatively easy. 

However, you need to do precise measurements and pours. Otherwise, the taste won’t satisfy you.

You need to get 

  • 2 ounces Old Overholt
  • 1 ounce sweet vermouth (Dolin Rouge – preferable)
  • 1 dash bitters (Angostura – Preferable)

To make this recipe 

  • Mix all the ingredients with ice in a mixing glass and stir it in for around 25 seconds. 
  • Strain the mixture into either a chilled martini or coupe glass. 
  • Your drink is ready to go. 
  • You can garnish it with a branded cherry.

5. Boulevardier cocktail with Old Overholt

Boulevardier was named after a magazine for ex-pats living in Paris in the 1920s with the same name published by Erskine Gwynne. However, It became famous after its name was included in Harry MacElhone’s 1927 book “Barflies and Cocktails.” 

It’s a whiskey-based cocktail, and the flavor of richness and warmth are easy to feel.  

The base spirit and the sweet vermouth play integral roles in balancing the taste and weight of the cocktail. 

Get 

  • 2.5 ounces Old Overholt
  • 1 ounce Campari
  • 1 ounce sweet vermouth
  • Orange twist to garnish

Then

  • Combine and stir Old Overholt, Campari, and sweet vermouth into a mixing glass with ice in around 25 seconds. 
  • Strain it into a rock glass filled with fresh ice. 
  • Serve with an orange peel as a garnish.

6. Old-fashioned cocktail with Old Overholt

Old-Fashioned origin is a classic cocktail dating back to 1806: spirit, sugar, water, and bitters.  

It also seems to be one of the simplest of all time. 

You need

  • 0.5 teaspoon sugar
  • 3 dashes of Angostura bitters
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • 2 ounces Old Overholt 
  • Orange peel to garnish

To prepare 

  • Add some water to a rock glass.
  • Dissolve sugar and bitters in order to sweeten and aromatize it. 
  • Put large and fresh ice in the glass, pour Old Overholt, and stir gently. 
  • Squeeze the oil of an orange peel over the glass, then put it in.
  • You can enjoy your drink.

Storage Information

You can store your leftover old Overholt cocktail in the freezer. 

It can be kept for up to a year if you store it properly. 

Put your Overholt cocktail in the freezer in an upright position or on its side.

This will ensure it doesn’t freeze onto another object. 

Conclusion

The old Overholt cocktail was created in the 1930s by Harry Craddock and became popular during Prohibition because it came with a built-in chaser of water.  

It’s traditionally made with bourbon or rye whiskey, sugar or simple syrup (or both), bitters, and water. 

It consists mainly of three simple ingredients: rye whiskey, American vermouth, and Angostura bitters, which give an incredibly flavorful drink, with both the vermouth and bitters standing out on their own. 

It is not overly sweet because of the dryness of the whiskey, which makes it go down easy and makes for a good drink to serve at parties or other get-togethers. 

You can store your leftover old Overholt cocktail in the freezer for up to a year if you store it properly. 

All you have to do is to put your Overholt cocktail in the freezer in an upright position or on its side to ensure it doesn’t freeze onto another object. 

Do you find this guide helpful? Kindly share your thoughts with us in the comment section. 

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FAQS

How long does it take to make an Old Overholt Cocktail?

The Old Overholt Cocktail takes around 15 minutes to make.

What drink does Old Overholt go well with?

Old Overholt cocktails go well with Manhattan or Old Fashioned, which is the traditional way to drink rye whiskey.
You can also use the Boulevardier cocktail, Boston Sour cocktail, Whiskey Sour cocktail, and Sazerac cocktail.

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