Wisconsin Old Fashioned: The Recipe, History, and Sweet vs Sour vs Press

The Wisconsin Old Fashioned breaks every rule of the canonical 1880s cocktail and somehow ends up the most-ordered drink in the state. Brandy instead of rye. Muddled cherries and orange slice instead of an expressed peel. A splash of soda — sweet (Sprite), sour (sour mix), or press (half and half) — instead of nothing at all. The state drinks roughly 90% of the brandy sold in America, and almost all of it goes into this glass. Here's the recipe, the history, and the three soda variations Wisconsin supper clubs argue about.

TL;DR — Wisconsin Old Fashioned

• The build: 1.5 oz Korbel brandy + 1 sugar cube + 2 dashes Angostura + muddled orange slice + 2 cherries + ice + soda finish.
• Three variations: Sweet (Sprite/7-Up), Sour (sour mix or fresh lemon-lime), Press (half lemon-lime soda + half club soda). Press is the bartender split-the-difference move.
• Glassware: 10-12 oz rocks glass, packed with regular ice cubes (not one big rock).
• Brandy: Korbel California Brandy is the canonical pick. Wisconsin drinks more Korbel per capita than any other state.
• Where it's served: Every Wisconsin supper club, every fish fry, every wedding, and a meaningful percentage of family dinners.

What Makes a Wisconsin Old Fashioned Different

Compared to the canonical Old Fashioned — 2 oz rye + ¼ oz demerara syrup + 2 dashes Angostura + expressed orange peel + one large ice rock — the Wisconsin version is almost a different drink. Five things change:

1. The spirit is brandy. Specifically Korbel California Brandy at 80 proof. Brandy in Wisconsin is what rye is in the rest of America.
2. The fruit is muddled, not expressed. An orange slice and 2 maraschino cherries get muddled in the bottom of the glass with the sugar cube, not expressed over the surface.
3. The sweetener is a sugar cube. Dropped in whole, muddled with the fruit and bitters before the spirit is added.
4. The ice is regular cubes. A glass packed with bar-cube ice, not one large rock. Dilution is part of the build, not avoided.
5. It gets a soda finish. The drink is topped with about 1.5-2 oz of soda — and which soda you use is the entire identity question (Sweet vs Sour vs Press).

The result is sweeter, lighter, and more refreshing than a classic Old Fashioned — almost an aperitif rather than a stirred whiskey. It pairs with fried fish (the Wisconsin Friday-night fish fry is the cocktail's natural habitat) far better than a rye-forward drink would.

The Wisconsin Old Fashioned Recipe

Ingredients (Sweet Version)

• 1.5 oz Korbel California Brandy
• 1 sugar cube (or 1 tsp granulated sugar)
• 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 orange slice (about ¼ inch thick)
• 2 maraschino cherries
• Ice cubes (regular bar cube size)
• 1.5-2 oz lemon-lime soda (Sprite, 7-Up, Sierra Mist)

The whole build takes about 90 seconds and is the most-served cocktail at every Wisconsin supper club from Door County to Eau Claire.

Sweet vs Sour vs Press: The Three Variations

The soda finish is the entire personality of the drink — and Wisconsin natives have strong, sometimes shouted opinions about which is correct.

Style	Soda	Profile	Best For
Sweet	Lemon-lime soda (Sprite, 7-Up)	Sweet, fruity, citrus-forward	First-time drinkers, dessert, summer
Sour	Sour mix or fresh lemon-lime juice	Tart, citrusy, less sweet	Friday fish fry, dinner cocktail
Press	Half lemon-lime soda + half club soda	Balanced — sweet but lighter	The "I can't decide" diplomat's pick

Sweet (Sprite / 7-Up)

The most popular variation by volume. The full sweetness of lemon-lime soda makes the drink read almost like a brandy-and-Sprite with fruit and bitters — easy-drinking, fruit-forward, and the standard order at most weddings and family-night-out events. If you've never had a Wisconsin Old Fashioned, this is what most strangers serve you.

Sour (Sour Mix or Fresh Lemon-Lime)

The bartender's preferred pick at most supper clubs. Replaces the lemon-lime soda with sour mix (lime juice + simple syrup + soda) or fresh-squeezed lemon-lime juice topped with club soda. Tarter, drier, and reads more like a proper cocktail than a soda-and-brandy. Pairs best with fried fish, prime rib, and other rich foods. Many Wisconsinites consider Sour the "correct" version and Sweet the tourist version.

Press (Half-and-Half)

The compromise. Half lemon-lime soda + half club soda lightens the sweetness without going full-tart. The result is a balanced sweetness that drinks easily without being sugary. If you order "Old Fashioned, brandy, press" at a Wisconsin supper club, you've signaled you know what you're doing. Press is gaining ground on both Sweet and Sour and is the new-school default.

Why Brandy? The Wisconsin Brandy Story

The state's brandy obsession traces to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Korbel set up a major exhibition booth and got large numbers of German immigrants — the demographic that built much of southern Wisconsin — hooked on California brandy as a sophisticated alternative to the whiskey their American neighbors drank. The taste persisted through generations, and by Prohibition's end, Wisconsin had locked in brandy as its default brown spirit.

By the modern era, Wisconsin drinks roughly half of all the Korbel brandy sold in America despite having less than 2% of the U.S. population. Korbel California Brandy in the 80-proof bottle is the de facto state spirit; bartenders pour it without asking what brand the customer wants. Other brandies work — E&J, Christian Brothers, Paul Masson — but Korbel is the standard.

What if I Don't Have Korbel?

Any 80-proof California brandy or Cognac stand-in works. The drink is sweet enough that the brandy's specific character matters less than in a classic Old Fashioned. In order of preference:

• Korbel California Brandy — the canonical Wisconsin pick.
• E&J VS Brandy — close enough; cheaper.
• Christian Brothers — also widespread; slightly sweeter.
• Cognac (VS or VSOP) — a step up; works fine but feels overdressed for the cocktail.
• Paul Masson Grande Amber — Wisconsin's secondary; sometimes preferred for the bottle's heavier vanilla character.

For the broader brandy-Old-Fashioned guide — including Cognac builds, applejack variations, and the Old Fashioned-by-spirit decision tree — see our Brandy Old Fashioned recipe and Old Fashioned by Spirit guide.

Glassware and Garnish

A 10-12 oz rocks glass is standard. Some Wisconsin supper clubs use a slightly taller pint-style glass to accommodate the soda volume; others use the same heavy-bottomed rocks glass that holds a classic Old Fashioned. Either works.

For garnish: the muddled cherries and orange slice stay in the drink (they're not just decoration — drinkers fish them out and eat them at the end). Some bars add an extra fresh cherry on top, an orange wheel, or both. Toothpicks or cocktail picks help with the fishing-out part.

Where to Find Real Wisconsin Old Fashioneds

Outside Wisconsin: order at any Midwest supper club, German-American bar, or anywhere with a Korbel bottle on the back bar. Many hotel restaurants in Chicago, the Twin Cities, and Madison area carry it.

Inside Wisconsin: nearly any bar will pour you one. Iconic spots include the Old Fashioned in Madison (named for the cocktail), Mader's in Milwaukee (German supper club, brandy on tap), Smoky's Club in Madison (classic supper-club setting), and any Friday night fish fry in any small town in the state. The cocktail is so universal that "Old Fashioned" in Wisconsin defaults to the brandy version unless you specify otherwise — which is the opposite of every other state in the country.

Common Questions About Wisconsin Old Fashioneds

What's the difference between a Wisconsin Old Fashioned and a regular Old Fashioned?

Five differences: brandy instead of rye/bourbon, muddled fruit (orange slice + cherries) instead of an expressed peel, a sugar cube as the sweetener, regular ice cubes instead of one large rock, and a soda finish (sweet, sour, or press). The result is sweeter, lighter, and more refreshing than a canonical Old Fashioned.

What's the best brandy for a Wisconsin Old Fashioned?

Korbel California Brandy is the canonical pick — Wisconsin drinks roughly half of all Korbel sold in America. E&J VS, Christian Brothers, and Paul Masson are common alternatives. Higher-end Cognacs work but feel overdressed for the cocktail's casual character.

What does "press" mean in a Wisconsin Old Fashioned?

Press means the soda finish is half lemon-lime soda and half club soda — splitting the difference between Sweet (full lemon-lime) and Sour (sour mix or fresh juice). Press lightens the sweetness without going fully tart and is the new-school default at most Wisconsin supper clubs.

Why does Wisconsin drink brandy instead of whiskey?

The Wisconsin brandy preference traces to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, where Korbel had a major exhibit that converted large numbers of German immigrants to California brandy. The demographic that settled Wisconsin carried the taste forward; by Prohibition's end, brandy was locked in as the state's default spirit.

Can I make a Wisconsin Old Fashioned without bitters?

Technically yes, but the result is much closer to brandy-and-Sprite than to a proper cocktail. The bitters provide the spice integration that makes the drink interesting. If you genuinely have no Angostura, use 2 dashes of any aromatic bitters or skip — but buy a bottle of Angostura before your next round.

Is the Wisconsin Old Fashioned the official state cocktail?

Not officially — Wisconsin has no designated state cocktail. But functionally, it might as well be. The drink is more identified with the state than any food, dessert, or other beverage, and outsells every other cocktail by a meaningful margin in supper clubs across the state.

How many Wisconsin Old Fashioneds is too many?

Each Wisconsin Old Fashioned contains about 1.5 oz of 80-proof brandy, which is one standard drink. The cocktail's sweetness can mask the alcohol — newcomers often underestimate how many they're drinking. Pace yourself; one per hour is sustainable, two per hour is fast.

Can I make a Wisconsin Old Fashioned with whiskey?

You'd be making a different cocktail. The Wisconsin version is defined by the brandy choice; substituting bourbon or rye gets you something closer to a fruit-muddled classic Old Fashioned with a soda finish — interesting but not actually Wisconsin. If you want whiskey, make a classic Old Fashioned (or our rye version); if you want Wisconsin, use brandy.

Related Reading

• Brandy Old Fashioned — the broader brandy treatment beyond the Wisconsin variation.
• Old Fashioned by Spirit — the full spirit-by-spirit guide; Wisconsin is one path among ten.
• Old Fashioned Variations — every regional and flavored variation in one place.
• How to Make an Old Fashioned — the canonical 1880s build.
• Rye Old Fashioned Recipe — the original spec the Wisconsin version diverges from.
• Old Fashioned History — how the cocktail evolved from Pendennis Club to Wisconsin supper clubs.
• Old Fashioned Corner — the full library, from recipes to bottle reviews.