Slice the orange. Just 1 half of a thin slice.

Slice and pit the cherry. Fresh is better than maraschino.

Throw the fruit in a shaker or a pint glass.

Add a spoonful of simple syrup because it helps the medicine go down, the medicine go down. Less than a tsp. (You can make this by boiling 1 pt sugar to 1 pt water.)

8 drops bitters. Exactly. Yes. Exactly.

Muddle.

Throw some ice in there real nice.

Pour two ounces of some delicious bourbon in the shaker.

Stir politely. Don't shake it. It's not a polaroid.

Put some fresh ice in your old fashioned glass and strain over the ice. I like to make these big cubes. They melt more slowly and look awesome.

You could garnish with an orange peel or a cherry but I like it just like this.

How to make a classy old fashioned

This is a version of an old fashioned I make that's inspired by Longman & Eagle in Chicago. The idea here is that it's nicely balanced flavors enhance, not cover, your tasty bourbon.