No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
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Fancy Free
Measurements in:
Serves:
| 2 fl oz | Bourbon whiskey |
| 5/12 fl oz | Luxardo Maraschino liqueur |
| 3 dash | Angostura Aromatic Bitters |
| 2 dash | Orange Bitters by Angostura |
How to make
Glass
Photographed in an UB 1910 Old Fashioned 10.5oz
Prepare
- Select and pre-chill an OLD-FASHIONED GLASS.
- Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.
Method
- STIR all ingredients with ice.
- STRAIN into ice-filled glass (preferably over a large cube or chunk of block ice).
Garnish
- EXPRESS orange zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.
Flavour Profile
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Health & Nutrition
Nutrition:
One serving of Fancy Free contains 179 calories
Alcohol content:
- 1.8 standard drinks
- 33.59% alc./vol. (67.18° proof)
- 24.9 grams of pure alcohol
History
The first known reference to the Fancy Free appears in Crosby Gaige's 1940 Cocktail Guide and Ladies' Companion.
Fancy Free
Crosby Gaige, 1940
1 jigger Fine Arts Whiskey
Dash of Angostura Bitters
Dash of Orange Bitters
2 dashes Maraschino
Frost the rim of a cocktail glass with lemon juice and fine sugar. Shake the ingredients with ice and strain into prepared glass.
As you can see from the extract above, the Fancy Free was originally a shaken drink served in a sugar-rimmed stemmed cocktail glass; and that's how I first encountered this cocktail back in the 1990s. However, modern bartenders have reworked this cocktail to be an 'improved' Old Fashioned with "improved" referring to the use of maraschino liqueur in place of sugar syrup. Hence, the stemmed glass and sugared rim have gone, giving way to a stirred, on-the-rocks, old-fashioned style cocktail.
Review
Aromatised, tamed bourbon with complex maraschino notes. Basically, a Whiskey Old Fashioned with maraschino in place of sugar syrup. Surprisingly dry, helped by generous dashes of orange and aromatic bitters.
Cocktail of the day:
3rd July 2026 is International Plastic Bag-Free Day
Variations/similar cocktails
Served straight-up in a sugar-rimmed coupe or Nick & Nora glass.
Improved Whiskey Cocktail
Gallery
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Comments & Discussion
Cannot give it a rating, but I will definitely add some bitters the next time I want a nip of bourbon.
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