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This freezer door old fashioned is my favorite make-ahead cocktail for a party! It’s made with bourbon (or rye!), simple syrup, and bitters for a classic drink. It’s super smooth, boozy, has just the right amount of sweetness, and takes minutes to mix up. All you need is 5 minutes and a few ingredients for 8 ready-made cocktails. Make a batch for easy pouring and even easier drinking.

A freezer door old fashioned on a marble tray next to bitters, a bottle of bourbon, a glass bowl of cherries, and a gold shot glass.

The first old fashioned I ever had was in college and it was made in a Tigger mug. I was also sitting on the floor of my cousin’s tiny apartment kitchen and I may have been eating cake with my hands (?). But either way, it left a good impression.

To this day, the old fashioned is still my go-to cocktail, especially for a party! Everyone loves it when you bust out a tray of mixed drinks. But to make the whole thing even easier, this recipe combines my ginger old fashioneds and these foolproof freezer door martinis for super easy pouring, serving, and sipping.

I’ve been testing different old fashioned ratios for 7+ years that I’ve been throwing dinner parties. But in the end, this one is my fave. This recipe is based on my go-to old fashioned but we’re batching it in a big bottle for a crowd. Just throw the bottle in the freezer door and you have a cocktail any time you feel like it!

Pick a good whiskey

A bottle of bourbon, two bottles of bitters, mixing glass with water, cup of simple syrup, and orange peel on a marble tray with a tan background.

My favorite whiskey for old fashioneds is bourbon! I usually pick something local like Frey Ranch or Two Bitch Bourbon. But whether you like bourbon or rye, you just want to pick something good-quality that you would sip on its own.

For sweetener, I recommend making a rich simple syrup so the water content is lower. Just combine 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil for 1 minute, stirring often, until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is thick.

When it comes to bitters, my personal favorite is a mix of Angostura and lemon or orange bitters! Angostura is classic but a bit of citrus bitters makes the old fashioned more complex.

Lastly, you’ll need filtered water. Yep, water! Old fashioneds typically have a 25-30% dilution when they’re stirred with ice. Since this recipe is poured straight from the freezer, it needs to be diluted just a bit.

Pick a whiskey that’s 80 proof (40% alcohol) or higher. This will keep the cocktail from freezing or turning slushy.

How to make this freezer cocktail

Two steps to batching old fashioneds. In photo 1, a hand pours bourbon into a mixing glass on a marble background next to bitters and simple syrup. In photo 2, a hand is pouring simple syrup into the bottle of whiskey.
Pour about 8 ounces (240 milliliters) of whiskey out of the bottle & save it for another time. Or, do it Sara-style and pour a shot over ice while you mix up this drink. Then, add the simple syrup and bitters straight to the bottle of whiskey. Mini funnels are a lifesaver here!
Two steps to making a freezer door old fashioned. In photo 1, a hand pours a glass of water into a bottle of bourbon on a marble background next to bitters. In photo 2, a hand is shaking the bottle.
Pour the water into the bottle. Cap the bottle and gently ‘swirl’ it to combine everything together. Next, place the bottle in the door of the freezer for at least 4 hours until it’s nice & chilled.
Three steps to making a whiskey cocktail. In photo 1, gold tongs place an ice cube in a rocks glass on a marble tray next to a bottle of whiskey, gold shot glass, and glass bowl of cherries. In photo 2, a hand is pouring whiskey from a bottle into the glass. In photo 3, the cocktail is garnished with an orange peel.
To serve this drink, place a large ice cube into a rocks glass. Using a jigger, pour 3 ounces of the bottled old fashioned over the ice cube. Grab a vegetable peeler and peel 2-3 inches of orange or lemon peel. Garnish the old fashioned with the twist and enjoy!

Old fashioned ratios are pretty personal, so I definitely recommend tasting and adjusting as you go. This is just how I like to drink my old fashioneds! But feel free to use more or less simple syrup, bitters, or water depending on how you like your cocktail.

A batched old fashioned on a marble counter next to a glass bowl of cherries, gold shot glass, bottle of bourbon, and bitters.

Store in the freezer door

The key to storing this cocktail is to place the bottle in the actual freezer door. The door is less cold than say, the back of the freezer, so it’s the perfect temperature for ready-made cocktails. If you store the bottled old fashioned in the back of the freezer, it could turn out slushy.

This batched old fashioned is also the epitome of a make-ahead cocktail! It needs to freeze for at least 4 hours but can hang out in the freezer for weeks. But, the alcohol will evaporate over time, so don’t store it for too long!

Slushy drink?

If the cocktail is slushy, even in the door, just add more bourbon a splash at a time until it’s nice and smooth. You can also just let the cocktail warm up for a few minutes until the ice melts.

A freezer door old fashioned on a marble tray next to bourbon, bitters, a gold shot glass, and a glass bowl of cherries with a beige background.

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5 from 1 vote

Super Easy Freezer Door Old Fashioned

Yield: 8 cocktails
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
This freezer door old fashioned is my favorite make-ahead cocktail for a party! It's made with bourbon (or rye!), simple syrup, Angostura bitters, and orange bitters for a super smooth, classic drink. Make a batch for easy pouring and even easier drinking.
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Ingredients

  • 750 milliliter bottle of bourbon whiskey or rye
  • 2 ounces simple syrup (60 milliliters)
  • 1 ounce Angostura bitters (30 milliliters)
  • 1 ounce lemon or orange bitters (30 milliliters)
  • 4 ounces filtered water (120 milliliters)
  • 8 large ice cubes
  • Orange twist, lemon twist, or cocktail cherries, for garnish

Equipment

  • Jigger
  • Rocks glasses
  • Vegetable peeler (for citrus garnishes)

Instructions 

  • Pour 8 ounces (240 milliliters) of bourbon out of the bottle. Reserve it in a resealable bottle or jar for another time.
  • Add the simple syrup, Angostura bitters, lemon or orange bitters, and water to the bottle of bourbon. Cap the bottle, give it a few gentle swirls, and freeze the old fashioneds for at least 4 hours or overnight.
  • Add 1 large ice cube to a rocks glass. Then, pour about 3 ounces (90 milliliters) of the chilled cocktail over the ice cube. Garnish with an orange twist, lemon twist, and/or cocktail cherry. Enjoy!

Notes

Taste the whiskey before you add simple syrup. If your whiskey is on the sweeter side, start with less simple syrup and add more to taste. If it’s on the spicier side, add more as needed.
To keep the water content low, use a rich simple syrup. Just combine 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil for 1 minute, stirring often, until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup is thick. Cool completely before using.
Make sure you’re adding the bitters properly! A dash of bitters is one good shake, not a drop. 4 dashes of bitters is about 1/4 ounce.
You can skip the water and replace it with more whiskey if you like. The cocktail will be stronger but will slowly dilute as the ice melts.
If the old fashioneds start to get slushy in the freezer, just add more whiskey. You want the alcohol content to be above 25% (50 proof) so it doesn’t freeze.
Pick a whiskey that’s 80 proof (40% alcohol) or higher. This will keep the cocktail from freezing or turning slushy!
If you do get ice crystals in the bottle, just give the bottle a gentle shake. Once you pour the old fashioned, the ice crystals will melt after a couple of minutes.
Cuisine: American
Course: Drinks
Author: Sara Lynn Hunt Broka
Serving: 1cocktail, Calories: 191kcal, Carbohydrates: 17.5g, Sodium: 100mg, Potassium: 2mg, Sugar: 17g, Calcium: 2mg
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