History

The Old Fashioned has been on Las Vegas bar menus since the Strip steakhouse era of the 1960s, but the modern craft-cocktail revival began Downtown after Atomic Liquors (Vegas's oldest standalone bar, licensed 1952) and the John E Carson Hotel district renovated through the early 2010s. Carson Kitchen, Velveteen Rabbit, Atomic Liquors, and the Peppermill Fireside Lounge each run their own house Old Fashioned, and Strip steakhouses such as Bavette's and Bazaar Meat by Jose Andres pour the cocktail at the table.

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Make it at home

Yield 1Hands-on 8 minTotal 8 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 45ml rye whiskey (Rittenhouse 100 or Bulleit Rye)
  • 15ml bourbon (Buffalo Trace or Eagle Rare)
  • 8ml demerara syrup (2 parts demerara sugar dissolved in 1 part water; refrigerated)
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters
  • 1 dash Peychaud's bitters
  • 1 dash orange bitters (Regan's No. 6)
  • 1 large strip of orange peel (use a vegetable peeler, no white pith)
  • 1 Luxardo Maraschino cherry (the real Italian one in dark syrup, not the candied red kind)
  • 1 large 5cm hand-cut ice cube (or a Tovolo King Cube tray made the night before)

Method

  1. Chill an Old Fashioned (rocks) glass in the freezer for 5 minutes.
  2. Combine rye, bourbon, demerara syrup, and all three bitters in a mixing glass (not the serving glass).
  3. Add a large handful of ice cubes to the mixing glass. Stir with a bar spoon for 30 seconds; this is the proper dilution for a stirred cocktail.
  4. Place the large hand-cut ice cube in the chilled rocks glass.
  5. Strain the cocktail over the large ice cube.
  6. Hold the orange peel skin-side toward the glass over a flame from a match or lighter. Express the oils by pinching the peel firmly; you should see a brief spark of citrus oil flare across the surface of the drink.
  7. Wipe the peel briefly around the rim of the glass, then drop into the drink.
  8. Drop a Luxardo cherry on top. Stir once with the bar spoon to combine. Sip slowly; a properly built Old Fashioned should last 12 to 15 minutes.

Tip from the editors. Demerara syrup, not simple syrup, is the Vegas-bar secret; the molasses-tinged demerara adds depth that white-sugar syrup cannot. The large single ice cube melts slower than smaller cubes, maintaining the cocktail balance over the drinking time.

Where to eat las vegas old fashioned

Las Vegas Old Fashioned in Las Vegas

Carson Kitchen ★ 4.4

$$ New AmericanDowntown Fremont EastUntil Mon to Thu 22:00, Fri to Sat 23:00, Sun 22:00

Carson Kitchen on 6th Street in downtown Las Vegas is Cory Harwell's small-plates room (co-founded with the late Kerry Simon in 2014), with bacon jam.

TryBacon jam, devil's eggs, bacon burger

TipSit at the bar after 21:30 for the small-plates list; bacon jam with havarti on toasted baguette and the bacon burger are the standing order.

Directions

Atomic Liquors and Atomic Kitchen ★ 4.4

$$ BurgersDowntown Fremont EastUntil Daily 12:00-02:00 (Fri to 03:00)

Atomic Liquors on Fremont East in Las Vegas is the city's oldest freestanding bar since 1952, with Atomic Kitchen alongside doing burgers, wings and bar.

TryElevated bar burgers, wings, atomic mac

TipThe Atomic Kitchen menu runs the same late hours as the bar; order the smash burger and an Old Fashioned on the Fremont patio.

Directions

Peppermill Restaurant and Fireside Lounge ★ 4.3

$$ BrunchThe StripUntil Daily 07:00-23:00 (Sun to Wed) / 02:00 (Thu to Sat)

Peppermill Restaurant and Fireside Lounge on the Las Vegas Strip is the 1972 neon-lit diner between Wynn and Resorts World, doing all-day breakfast.

TryAll-day breakfast, oversized salads, fireside cocktails

TipSit in the Fireside Lounge for the sunken fire pit; the strawberry-stacked Fruit Pancake is the photograph and feeds three.

Directions

Bazaar Meat by Jose Andres ★ 4.7

$$$$ Tasting $180 to $295ItalianChef Jose Andres

Bazaar Meat by Jose Andres in Las Vegas is the James Beard winner's playful Strip meathouse, relocated from SLS Sahara to the Venetian Resort in late 2025.

Book2 weeks ahead

TipSit at the live-fire counter; the suckling pig and tableside flambees are the show.

Directions Book

Bavette's Steakhouse and Bar ★ 4.6

$$$$ Tasting $95 to $185 avgSteakhouseChef Brendan Sodikoff

Bavette's Steakhouse at Park MGM in Las Vegas is Brendan Sodikoff's Chicago import since 2017, a dim red-leather steakhouse with French flair.

Book3 weeks ahead

TipThe bar serves the full menu and accepts walk-ins; come at 17:00 opening for a counter seat.

Directions Book

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