The old-fashioned is my favorite drink. And I say that as someone who’s been imbibing cocktails for multiple decades and writing about spirits and drinks for over 10 years. While there’s plenty of room for variation , it’s usually whiskey, bitters, sugar, and orange peel.

Still, I get the same question from bartenders whenever I order the drink. “ Bourbon or rye ?” And that’s fine! I love either spirit as a base, though I tend to lean more toward the earthiness and spiciness of rye whiskey for such a sweet drink.

That said, I’ve been experimenting over the years, and I think my favorite old-fashioneds tend to fall into non-traditional categories. I like split-base (mezcal and rum), American single malts, brandy, Scotch, Irish whiskey, aged tequila, even gin…almost every spirits category has a good old-fashioned cocktail variation.…