Old Pal Cocktail Recipe

There is something wonderful about winding down at the end of the day with a good friend. That is the feeling that our Old Pal cocktail evokes in the most delicious way. Recipe developer Julie Kinnaird shares her take on this simple yet classic cocktail, which is comprised of rye whiskey, dry Vermouth, and Italian Campari liqueur, served up in a stylish coupe glass. Kinnaird adds a dash of cardamom bitters to finish the drink, giving it a flavor nuance that is like a warm hug. With a touch of sweet spice, this drink is a perfect sipper for the holidays, or for any day of the year.

If you have not experimented with rye whiskey before, it is noticeably more dry and spiced than bourbon, making it a perfect mixer for balancing out the sweetness of other components in a cocktail. You can find rye whiskey produced in the United States, Canada, and Scotland, and it is a fun experiment to compare the differences in flavor profile. Rye whiskey is an essential spirit to have on hand for making a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned, but we think you will fall in love with our Old Pal.

A classic Old Pal cocktail has just 3 ingredients: rye whiskey, dry vermouth, and Campari. You can use any variety of rye whiskey that you like, whether it is American, Canadian, or other. It is important to have fresh vermouth for this drink, however. Many people have a bottle of sweet or dry vermouth in their liquor cabinet that has been lingering for years amongst the bottles of vodka, gin, or fancy liqueurs. Vermouth, however, is a fortified wine and will begin to oxidize once it is open and exposed to air. Dry vermouth also has a shorter lifespan than sweet due to its lower sugar content, so it is important to keep your vermouth refrigerated once you have opened it. Kinnaird adds a touch of cardamom bitters to her Old Pal recipe. She says, "Bitters are like the seasoning for your cocktail. In this case, the warm sweet spice flavor of the cardamom contrasts with the bitter Campari for a really complex and festive flavor." The cocktail is finished with an orange twist, which complements the orange flavor from the Campari.

Chill a coupe glass.

Remove a slice of orange peel without the white pith.

Cut it into a parallelogram shape and set it aside.

Fill a mixing glass with ice.

Add the rye whiskey.

Add the Campari.

Add the vermouth.

Shake in the bitters.

Use a bar spoon to stir the drink for 15 seconds.

Strain the drink into the chilled glass.

Express the orange peel over the cocktail.

Make a twist from the peel and add it as garnish.

Serve the Old Pal cocktail.

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The Old Pal was created in the early 20th century at Harry's New York Bar in Paris by bartender Harry MacElhone. Legend has it that MacElhone created the cocktail for a regular customer named William "Sparrow" Robinson, who referred to anyone he knew as his "old pal." The Old Pal was a "lightened up" version of a similar cocktail called the Boulevardier which also contained Campari, along with bourbon and sweet vermouth. For the Old Pal, MacElhone chose rye whiskey for its dry and spicy flavor profile, as well as dry vermouth over sweet to keep the cocktail brisk. 

The Old Pal belongs to a collection of classic cocktails with a ratio of ingredients that is 1:1:1. Not only does this make the Old Pal an enjoyably easy drink to prepare, but it also shines a light on the perfect balance of ingredients that together create a complexity of flavors.

With simple cocktails like the Old Pal, the specific ingredients used really define the drink. That said, there are ways to customize the recipe and make it your own while still keeping the original character intact. For example, the original Old Pal does not contain bitters, but Kinnaird says she likes to enhance the drink with a warm flavor that is perfect for colder seasons. Consider trying other unique bitters (like smoked orange) to give your cocktail a flavor-infused personality. You could also use Aperol instead of the Campari. Although the two spirits are both members of the same Italian lineage of bitter and herbaceous liqueurs, Aperol is lighter in flavor and has roughly half the ABV of Campari, making it a perfect substitute to lighten up the cocktail.

One other easy switch is to use a lemon rather than an orange for expressing and twisting into the drink. Lemon was originally used in the Old Pal recipe, partly as a differentiation from the Boulevardier. Kinnaird says she prefers how the orange zest blends seamlessly with the flavors of the liqueur, and suggests trying a blood orange as well for deeper flavor and striking color.

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