The concept Old Fashioned Week was created in 2015 by Michael Landart from Bar Maria Loca in Paris, Cyrille Hugon, from Paris Rhum Party & magazine Rumporter. They wanted to organize an event that celebrated one of the most famous cocktails in the world, namely the Old Fashioned. Today the concept has grown to become a global festival where more than 1,000 bars around the world participating. As barbesökare can enjoy the traditional drink in new, innovative versions while enjoying exciting events and interesting promotions. The festival takes place between 1-10 November and in Stockholm officially three bars, Reisen Bar, Diplomat Bar and Bar Hommage, in the celebration.

Maker's Old Fashioned Weekend at Bar Hommage During the first weekend (2-4 November), Maker's Old Fashioned Weekend is held at Bar Hommage. Old Fashioned enthusiasts and the curious can then come and try different variants of the cocktail, learn more about its history and listen to music on vinyl played by Anders Anderson and Miss E. In Sunday also organized an international bartending competition.

The weekend schedule

Saturday 3 November: Miss E plays discs between 22-01. Come by and try out different variations of the world-famous cocktail and hear more about its history.

Sunday 4 November: During the Sunday, from 18-22 pm, an international bartender competition is held on Bar Hommage (The Bar Hommage Old Fashioned Invitational). Bartenders from London, Paris, Trondheim and Stockholm have been invited to compete to see who makes the best version of the Old Fashioned. The participants will compete in 15 minute intervals and have during the competition. Choosing their own music to create mood, they are judged not only on taste and composition without the whole.

Ola Carlson, bar manager at Bar Hommage, talks about the event: 

“As part of the entire activation around the Old Fashioned Week, we wanted to highlight Stockholm's guests bar world and Stockholm as a cocktail destination - and that with an international bartender competition. We has invited some of our absolute favorite banners to compete on who can blending the best version of an Old Fashioned. We also see it as an opportunity to gather people and extend the weekend with a few hours of party.” 

The contestants 

Chris Tanner, The Vault (behind the bookshelf), London
Emily Reynolds, Little Red Door, Paris
Hanna Oscarsson, Grand Hotel Cardierbaren, Stockholm
Jörgen Dons, RAUS Bar, Trondheim
Linus Morgan, TAP Room, Stockholm
Pierre-Marie Bisson, Milk n Honey, London
Yvonne Tran, Svartengrens, Stockholm

The history of the drink

According to Robert Simonson, author of Old Fashioned: The Story of the World's First Classic Cocktail consisted of a cocktail from the very beginning of only spirits, sugar, water and bitters. One Old Fashioned basically consists of the same ingredients, but the whiskey mixed down was Whiskey. In the beginning was because the drink called Whiskey Cocktail and drank mostly as a pick-me on morning. The drink was later changed with some new ingredients and then became a beverage man took small sips of. Many people and bars have over the years claimed responsibility for what we today call the Old Fashioned. One of the most famous is the Pendennis Club in Louisville where a bartender, sometime between 1889 and 1895, said to have made it somewhat more fruity recipe in memory of a well-known Bourbon distillator named Colonel James E. Pepper.

“It has and will always be a bartender's drink, as easy as it seems to be doing, equally difficult it may be to balance properly. The balance between spirits, sweetness, bitter and watering is what determines the quality of the drink.” says Ola Carlson, Bar Manager at Bar Hommage.

https://www.makersmark.com/

http://bar-hommage.com/

https://old-fashioned-week.com/

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Enjoy a classic Old Fashioned at La Bar Hommage

An Old Fashioned is many bartenders personal favorite. Here's how to create Bar Hommage's classic variant to celebrate the Old Fashioned Week.

You need:
60 ml Maker's Mark
7.5 ml of raw sugar
3-4 splashes of Angostura

Do this:
1. Measure equal amounts of sugar and water, stirring under heating until the sugar has dissolved. Then allow the raw sugar layer to cool
2. Pipe Maker's Mark with Raw Sugar, Angostura and Ice to cool down and water out
3. Serve all in a cold glass of ice, spice up with a small orange zest