🍒🥃 “How To” Order a Wisconsin Old Fashioned Like A Pro (Classic Recipe Included)

Looking for the best Brandy Old Fashioned in Wisconsin? Welcome to cocktail church. 🙌 In the Badger State, the Old Fashioned isn’t just a drink—it’s a damn near a religion. Whether you’re sipping at a supper club, dive bar, or lakeside lodge, this iconic Wisconsin cocktail is served with pride, muddled fruit, and a heavy pour of Korbel.

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🥇 Wisconsin’s Brandy Love Affair (Yes, We’re Extra)

Korbel Brandy + Wisconsin = True Love Forever.
No, really. Over 60% of Korbel’s global sales come from Wisconsin. We drink more brandy than the rest of the U.S. combined. That’s not a flex—it’s just facts.

“According to the California brandy maker, Korbel, Wisconsin is responsible for drinking half of their brandy. In 2019, around 275,000 cases of Korbel brandy were sold in the U.S. with over 150,000 of those cases being sold in Wisconsin, meaning that more than half of the brandy Korbel sells comes to Wisconsin.”

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🧾 How to Order a Wisconsin Old Fashioned (Without Looking Like a Tourist)

When you say “Old Fashioned” in Wisconsin, it’s automatically:

→ Brandy
→ Muddled
→ Served with a smile and maybe a snarky comment

Choose your mixer:

• 🥤 Sweet – topped with 7-Up
• 🍋 Sour – finished with sour mix, Squirt, or 50/50
• 🥂 Press – half soda water, half 7-Up

💡 Wisco Pro Tip: If you don’t specify, you’re getting it sweet. That’s the unspoken house rule at most supper clubs and bars.

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🍽️ The Supper Club Connection: A Toast to Tradition

The Wisconsin supper club is more than a restaurant—it’s a sacred ritual. We’re talkin’ relish trays, prime rib, fried perch, and that first round of Brandy Old Fashioneds that sets the tone for the night.

Most supper clubs have been serving Old Fashioneds the same way since the 1940s:

• No jiggers
• No garnish tweezers
• Just strong pours, friendly bartenders, and classic Wisco hospitality 🧀

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😎 The Hipsters Caught On—But We Never Quit

Around 2010, cocktail bars in Brooklyn and LA “rediscovered” the Old Fashioned. Suddenly it was cool again—served with orange peels scorched with a blowtorch and bitters that cost more than your college textbooks. 🙄

Welcome to the Midwest, hipsters. We’ve been sipping this legend for decades.

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🍊 Classic Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned Recipe

Here’s how to make it like a true Sconnie:

Bottom of a rocks glass:

• 1 sugar cube (or packet)
• 1/2 an orange slice 🍊
• 2–3 maraschino cherries 🍒
• 3–4 dashes of Angostura bitters

Muddle well.
Add ice.
Pour in a heavy splash of Korbel Brandy 🥃
Top with your choice: sweet, sour, or press
Garnish with love (and a cherry).

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