Why an Old Fashioned is just four things, and how long to stir it

The Old Fashioned is whiskey, sugar, bitters and a little water: the 1806 idea of a cocktail, still going. This page gives the IBA spec and the common bar version in ml and oz, then shows with a small calculator how sweetness and stirring time change the strength and the meltwater in the glass.

It explains why the drink is stirred rather than shaken, why big ice matters, what the history really says (and what is only bar legend), and how to make lower-strength and alcohol-free versions. Please drink responsibly.