An ode to the Old Fashioned: Here’s where to savour our Editor-in-chief’s go-to drop this month

Smooth, spicy, and a little complex — that’s surely how people describe me. Ironically, it’s also the perfect description for the classic American cocktail, the Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned.

We all have our drink of choice, and for me, that drink is an Old Fashioned. As a lover of all things of the whisky and bourbon persuasion, an Old Fashioned is the perfect libation to end the day, or kick off the night. 


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Given the nature of this arguably simple drink (with typically just three ingredients) the choice of whisky or bourbon to construct the perfect cocktail is paramount. My personal choice is always Woodford Reserve. The sultry, amber-hued bourbon is rich and silky, with all of that toffee sweetness bourbon is so famous for but also with a level of refined complexity enhanced with gentle notes of cinnamon and spice, resulting in what is the perfect Old Fashioned.

For those unfamiliar with the classic Old Fashioned, Woodford Reserve presents the annual Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned Month celebration. Across the month of November, expect a plethora of iconic bars and restaurants Woodford Reserve’s complex and sophisticated flavours taking this favourite cocktail to new heights. Having started in Paris, France in 2015, Old Fashioned Week is now a global event.

Here in New Zealand, as part of this year’s Old Fashioned Month, Woodford Reserve has partnered with a series of bars throughout the country with mixologists at each location invited to create their own signature iteration of this famed libation.

Below you’ll find our edit of the finest bars and restaurants to savour a Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned.

Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned
Editors’ Picks

Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned
The Best Of The Rest

Aperitivo Bar & Kitchen, Waiheke

Broken Lantern, Ponsonby

Chapel Bar, Ponsonby

Danny Doolans, Viaduct Harbour

Fulltime Bar & Eatery, Kingsland

Oyster and Chop, Viaduct Harbour

Panacea, Auckland CBD

Paname Social, Auckland CBD

Piggy Bar, Howick

Revelry, Ponsonby

RocketMan, Auckland CBD

Tandoori Bar and Eatery, Huapai

The Good Luck Coconut, Wynyard Quarter

The Local, Waiheke

Tomfoolery, K’Road

Twentyone, SkyCity

V.T Station, Newmarket

Voco Auckland City Centre, Auckland CBD

The Whiskey, Ponsonby

Hapi Bar, Hamilton East

Last Place, Hamilton Central

Neat, Hamilton East

The Lookout, Pukete

Wayward Pigeon, Chartwell

Wonder Horse, Hamilton Central

Latitude 37, Mount Maunganui

Mount Master Kong, Mount Maunganui

Palace, Mount Maunganui

The Barrel Room, Tauranga

The Freeport with Cleaver & Co, Mount Maunganui

The Mill House, Tauranga

Amador, Wellington Central

Bin44, Queens Wharf

Boneface Brewing Co., Upper Hutt

Burger Liquor, Te Aro

Cuckoo Emporium, Customhouse Qua

Dockside, Queens Wharf

Elixir, Wellington Central

Eva Beva, Te Aro

Hawthorn Lounge, Te Aro

Naumi Hotel Wellington, Te Aro

Nicolini’s Restaurant, Te Aro

S&M’s Cocktail Bar, Cuba Street

Sofitel Wellington, Wellington Central

Vinyl Bar, Courtenay Place

Waterfront Bar, Raumati Beach

Wilson Barbecue, Johnsonville

Boo’s, Victora Street

Kaiser Brew Garden, Riverside Market

Scoundrel, Christchurch CBD

Smokey T’s, Christchurch CBD

The Last Word, Christchurch CBD

Captains Restaurant, Queenstown

Joe’s Garage, Dunedin North

Pequeño Lounge Bar, Central Dunedin

Titi Restaurant, St Clair

Wains Hotel Fable, Dunedin Central

Kelvin Hotel, Invercargill

The Langlands Hotel, Invercargill

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