Oaxacan Old Fashioned: Many Americans First Introduction to Mezcal

ABOUT THE COCKTAIL

It’s 2007 and the TV series Mad Men has recently premiered, helping to reignite America’s love affair with the Old Fashioned. It was at this time, while working at Death & Co, that bartender Phil Ward helped introduce countless Americans to the deep, earthy spirit of mezcal when he created this twist on the classic. 

By using lightly oaked reposado tequila, mezcal, agave nectar and Angostura bitters, Ward created a modern classic. The Oaxacan Old Fashioned is a big part of the reason we now see mezcal on cocktail menus around the globe.

ABOUT THE BAR

Opened on New Year’s Eve 2006/07 in Manhattan’s East Village, Death & Co quickly became a cocktail institution, owed greatly to its team of groundbreaking bartenders. In 2010, Death & Co won Best American Cocktail Bar and World’s Best Cocktail Menu at Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards.

Few, if any, bars in the world can claim more credit for mezcal’s popularity on cocktail lists than New York’s Death & Co. They have created many excellent mezcal cocktails, including two that are now widely considered modern classics: the Oaxacan Old Fashioned and the Naked & Famous.