Celebrated around the world, Old Fashioned Week honours the easy-to-mix drink that has captured the attention of mixologists and drink connoisseurs through the ages... the one, the only, the Old Fashioned.

The story of the Old Fashioned goes back to the 1800s when locals would ask for their drink “made the old fashioned way” at their local watering hole. The earliest record of the recipe dates back to 1895 in Modern American Drinks: How to Mix and Serve All Kinds of Cups, Cocktails, and Fancy Mixed Drinks by George J Kappeler. Though, the Old Fashioned has had many shapes and forms (we even once drowned it with cocktail cherries), in modern times we’ve moved to its purer form. Muddled sugar with ANGOSTURA aromatic bitters, adding whisky and served over ice with orange zest – simplicity at its finest.

Old Fashioned Week

Initially started by Paris-based rum expert Cyrille Hugon and Maria Loca bar owner Michael Landart, the Old Fashioned Week has grown way past its 50 French bars. From 180 international bars in 2016 to 1,300 participating bars across 60 countries in 2018. And, regardless of the pandemic, today, the top cocktail destinations around the world put everything aside to honour this stirred drink.This year, from 5 to 14 November, the annual 10-day event is cherished by discerning whisky drinkers who love a cocktail that pays tribute to its core ingredients. Of course, COVID-19 has put some of the festivities of the past on hold, it doesn’t mean you can’t partake in Old Fashioned Week with your friends and family. 

Angostura & Monkey Shoulder

This year, we say let’s ‘monkey’ around with a Monkey Shoulder and ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters’ Lazy Old Fashioned - the perfect cocktail for friends. The Lazy Old Fashioned was expertly thought out, after many a session kicking back Old Fashioneds with friends, to give you the perfect 12 serves to make everyone happy. It’s hard work, but someone has to do it.As a whisky created specifically to make the perfect whisky cocktails, Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Scotch Whisky adds richness and vibrancy, while ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters ups the complexity of flavours to ensure a superior tasting cocktail. Perfection in a glass.As new generations of drinkers fall for the Old Fashioned’s simple charm, our prediction is civilisation will be enjoying it for years to come. Because it’ll never not be cool! Show your support by serving the Lazy Old Fashioned at home.

Make it yourself

Lazy Old Fashioned (serves 12)

Ingredients:

• A bottle of Monkey Shoulder
• 90ml sugar syrup
• 30ml ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters
• Orange zest & twist (for garnish)

Method:

Remove 100ml of Monkey Shoulder from the bottle. Enjoy this with a friend before you jump into making your Lazy Old Fashioned. Add 90ml of sugar syrup directly into the Monkey Shoulder bottle. Add 30ml of ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters directly into the Monkey Shoulder bottle. Recork the Monkey Shoulder bottle and shake. Strain into glass with ice and add a garnish of orange zest and twist to each. 

Plus, we’ve made things even easier for you... buy your ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters and Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Scotch Whisky ingredients online and at your local Norman GoodFellows.

For more information on ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters and cocktail recipes visit www.angosturabitters.com. Follow Angostura South Africa on Facebook /Angostura South Africa and Instagram @AngosturaZA for fun facts, recipes and brand updates.

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Issued by: Paul W. Reynell
Paddington Station PR
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021 447 0564

On behalf of:  Vanessa Nel
DGB (Pty) Ltd
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011 653 1000

About the House of Angostura
The proud history of the House of Angostura began almost 200 years ago in 1824, when founder Dr. Johann Siegert first produced aromatic bitters in the city of Angostura in Venezuela. Recognised over the centuries by the granting of Royal Warrants of Appointment to the royal households of Great Britain, Prussia, Spain and Sweden. ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters is the world’s market leader, an integral ingredient in premium cocktails, and a mainstay of cocktail culture. 

High-end premium rums such as those from the House of ANGOSTURA® are taking the spirit to a new level. In South Africa the SA Rum Awards bring local craft and international rum brands into the limelight with Tiki bars, rum cocktails, and rum style occasions.

August is rum month and there’s lots to celebrate! The spirit often associated with tropical islands, flamboyant cocktails, caricature pirates and fun times in the sun is all grown up now. And there’s a growing crowd of connoisseurs worldwide taking it seriously.

A GLOBAL RUM TREND

While high-end premium rums still account for a smaller percentage of total rum sales compared to equivalent gins, tequilas or whiskies, that percentage is steadily growing. The diversity of premium aged rums available internationally is also on the rise.What elevates a rum to high-end premium status is the skill of the master blender, together with long aging of the rums in barrels.

Blending rums of different ages brings out particular characteristics, and is a rare art that lends distinction and refinement to the finished product.House of ANGOSTURA®, known worldwide for its iconic bitters, an essential ingredient in cocktails such as the sophisticated Old Fashioned, has been making rum in its state-of-the-art distillery in Trinidad since 1949.

Master Blender Carol Homer-Caesar is expanding Angostura’s international rum range and taking their premium rums to new markets all around the world.An essential ingredient, second only in secrecy to the House of Angostura’s legendary bitters recipe, she says, is the indigenous Trinidadian yeast strain used in the fermentation. Which, together with the terroir of the sugar cane and the ex-bourbon barrels used for aging, gives their rum brand its distinct personality.Geographically rum production is linked to the cultivation of sugar cane. Fermented then distilled either from raw cane juice (rhum agricole), or more often from the molasses that is the by-product of sugar-making.

Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century and while it’s still centred around the Caribbean and the Americas, rum-making has now spread worldwide wherever sugarcane is grown. And the recent emergence of specialised craft distilleries is testament to its growing popularity.

RUM IN SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa, as a sugar producing country, is a natural home to the new breed of craft rum-maker with many new local brands emerging since 2013. In 2020 the first SA Rum Awards took place, with Leah Van Deventer, judge and convenor of the awards, saying, “The rum category has been creeping up on gin over the years. It’s not yet in the same ballpark, but in the premium market it’s steadily growing. Especially as an interest for a loyal bunch of spirits geeks.

”The awards are open to any sugar cane-based spirit available commercially in South Africa, from domestic craft rums all the way through to imported international brands. Judged completely blind by industry experts (Van Deventer, Kurt Schlechter, Chantelle Horn and Coco Reinharz) each rum is assessed, just as wine would be, on nose, flavour profile and characteristics on the palate.“We’re looking for complexity and depth of flavour,” says Van Deventer. “Rum has a very wide flavour wheel with characteristics ranging from mint to seaweed to basic molasses.

”One reason why the local craft rum industry is only now emerging from its infancy, compared to the craft gin boom of the past decade, is that the rum-making process takes a lot longer. After fermentation and distillation comes a slow maturation, aging in barrels for a minimum of a year but usually years longer.

“The rum trend is definitely building,” says Van Deventer. For the 2021 SA Rum Awards they’ve had at least fifteen new SA brands entered. “It’s amazing considering the year we’ve had that people are still creating new craft brands.

”The SA Rum Awards are one way of raising the profile and awareness of rum in South Africa. “I would like people to understand that rum can be enjoyed like a whisky,” continues Van Deventer. “However, you drink your whisky, with coke or ginger ale, neat or on the rocks, you can enjoy rum in that way too. We want people to appreciate rum for what it is.”

RUM COCKTAILS AND THE TIKI TREND

Just because you can be serious about rum, doesn’t mean it can’t still be frivolous and fun. The recent boom in Tiki bars attests to this. Impacted recently in South Africa by lockdown alcohol bans but still with us in spirit, the tiki bar celebrates light-hearted rum cocktails with a laid-back tropical vibe – paper umbrellas, straws, maraschino cherries and all. Go for 80s nostalgia with the pina colada, or the grenadine bright Mai Tai, a tiki classic.

Or sip sophistication in a Rum Old Fashioned with its essential dash of ANGOSTURA®  bitters, savour a smooth Daiquiri, minty Mojito, or evocative Dark and Stormy.

CHOOSING A RUM

A good barista will have a number of rums in their spirits repertoire, knowing the characteristics of each and what it brings to the party.White rum is generally the lightest and youngest of the rum family, recommended for vivacious fruity cocktails. An older golden rum has a deeper flavour and suits stronger mixes with spices and or herbs.When you get to rums aged for seven years upwards, their subtle flavours and layered complexity are worth savouring neat or on the rocks – the thought of dousing a 15-year aged rum in fruit juice, cherries and paper umbrellas is just as much a faux pas as pouring cola onto a premium Scotch whisky.

Read the label carefully. The age of the rum listed reflects the youngest rum in the blend, so rum labelled as five years may have a percentage of ten or fifteen year-old rum in the mix adding maturity, complexity and depth.

It’s time to get curious about rum and give your tastebuds a dash of adventure.