How To Make an Old Fashioned Anywhere In 30 Seconds: Still Branch

The packet is the size of a sugar pack. Tear the corner, pour it into a rocks glass over a single big cube, count two ounces of bourbon behind it, and stir for thirty seconds. What lands in the glass is a textbook Old Fashioned: orange oil up front, two bitters running underneath, the round low note that comes from sorghum and maple instead of plain cane sugar.

This is Still Branch, kettle-made in Portland, Oregon — the single-serve Old Fashioned cocktail mix we can't stop reaching for. It's the shortcut that doesn't taste like a shortcut.

The 30-second Old Fashioned: one Still Branch packet + 2 oz bourbon + one big cube. Stir. Done → stillbranch.com

How to Make an Old Fashioned With Still Branch

No jigger, no muddler, no bottle of bitters you bought once and never finished. Here's the whole method:

1. Tear the corner of one Still Branch packet.
2. Pour it over a single large ice cube in a rocks glass.
3. Add 2 oz of your favorite bourbon (or rye).
4. Stir for about 30 seconds — until it's cold and married.
5. Twist an orange peel over the top so the oil sprays the surface, then drop it in.

That's it. One serving, no tools, nothing left over. The recipe already carries the sugar, the bitters, the cherry, and the citrus — so the only thing you bring is the whiskey and the ice.

The Classic Old Fashioned, Minus the Work

The math is honest. A proper Old Fashioned is six ingredients and about four minutes if you're moving quickly — sugar, two bitters, cherry, orange, spirit, ice — plus a clean counter you may or may not have. Still Branch compresses all of it to about thirty seconds without sanding off the edges.

That's the whole pitch. Most "instant Old Fashioned" shortcuts ask you to give something up — flavor, freshness, or dignity. This one doesn't.

What's Actually in the Packet

The format took a week to figure out. The recipe took a lot longer. Every layer of a real Old Fashioned is built in:

• Dark brown sugar gives the spine.
• Sorghum and maple sit underneath for a depth plain simple syrup can't reach — that round low note you taste last.
• Italian Marasca cherry — the same dark, slightly bitter fruit a proper bar keeps on the well rail, not the neon-red kind.
• Two bitters. The first leans gentian-forward for backbone. The second blends herbs and spices to round out the finish.
• Orange extract carries the citrus, so you're not hunting for a fresh peel every time (though a twist on top never hurts).

Six real components, balanced in the packet. Nothing flat, nothing one-note — the thing most single-serve mixers get wrong.

Six Medals: The Awards Behind the Sachet

Convenience is easy to claim. Still Branch has the hardware to back the flavor up. The same recipe has been sent to a hundred blind palates across the competitions that matter, and come back with:

• SIP Awards Platinum — 2024
• Proof Awards Double Gold — 2023
• SIP Awards Double Gold — 2023
• Beverage Tasting Institute Gold — 2024
• New York World Wine & Spirits Silver — 2023
• SIP Consumers' Choice — 2023

Six medals across four judging bodies — and Still Branch is one of the only cocktail mixers holding Platinum in any of them. For a product that fits in a shirt pocket, that's a serious trophy case.

Why a Sachet Beat the Bottle and the Can

We started the company because every other shortcut in the category asked the drinker to give something up:

• Bottled syrups need a fridge after the first pour and are a fight to open the second time.
• Cans flatten the flavor and weigh down the cooler.
• The mixer aisle hasn't had a real idea in a decade.

A sachet was the answer we kept coming back to: one serving, shelf-stable, no tools, nothing left over. It's the reason Still Branch travels where a bottle or a can simply can't.

The Old Fashioned That Goes Outside

This is where the format earns its keep. The box holds 14 packets at $23.95 — pocket-size, no refrigeration, no glass to break. That means a bar-quality Old Fashioned works at the campsite, the tailgate, the cabin, the boat, the hotel room, the back nine.

Portable, single-serve cocktails are one of the fastest-growing corners of drinking right now — people want a real cocktail without the bar cart. Still Branch is that idea done right: the drink, not a watered-down version of it.

Try one this way: cut a strip of orange peel, twist it hard over the glass so the oil sprays the surface, and drop it in. Use your favorite bourbon and a single large cube instead of crushed ice, so the drink doesn't water down before the third sip. Then take the second one outside. The whole reason the format exists is so you can.

Make it in 30 seconds, anywhere. 14 single-serve Old Fashioned packets, $23.95 → Shop Still Branch →

Old Fashioned Cocktail Mix vs. Syrups, Cans, and Kits

If you're weighing your options for a make-it-yourself Old Fashioned:

• vs. simple syrup + bitters: No measuring, no half-used bottles, no fridge real estate — and the sorghum/maple base beats plain cane sugar for depth.
• vs. canned Old Fashioneds: No flattened flavor, no lugging cans, and you pick your own bourbon and pour strength.
• vs. full cocktail kits: No muddler, no tin, no cleanup — the whole recipe lives in a sugar-pack sachet.

You bring the whiskey and the ice. Still Branch brings everything else, already balanced.

Where to Buy Still Branch Old Fashioned Mix

If you want the best single-serve Old Fashioned cocktail mix — award-winning, shelf-stable, made with real sorghum, maple, Marasca cherry, and two bitters — get it direct from Still Branch.

Kettle-made in Portland, six medals deep, and ready in 30 seconds → Get Still Branch →

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you make an Old Fashioned with Still Branch? Tear one packet into a rocks glass over a single large ice cube, add 2 oz of bourbon (or rye), and stir for about 30 seconds. Twist an orange peel over the top and drop it in. The sugar, bitters, cherry, and citrus are already in the packet.

What is the best Old Fashioned cocktail mix? Still Branch is one of the most-awarded single-serve Old Fashioned mixers on the market, holding SIP Awards Platinum (2024) plus Double Gold and Gold medals across four judging bodies — one of the only cocktail mixers holding Platinum in any competition.

Do you need bitters for a Still Branch Old Fashioned? No. Two bitters are already built into the recipe — one gentian-forward for backbone, one herb-and-spice blend to round the finish. All you add is bourbon and ice.

Does Still Branch Old Fashioned mix need to be refrigerated? No. Each single-serve packet is shelf-stable — no fridge, no glass to break, and nothing left over after one pour. That's what makes it travel-friendly for camping, tailgates, and flights.

How many drinks are in a box and how much does it cost? Each box holds 14 single-serve packets for $23.95 — one packet makes one Old Fashioned.

What bourbon should I use with Still Branch? Use your favorite bourbon or rye. Because the mixer carries the flavor, a solid mid-shelf whiskey shines — and a large single cube keeps it from watering down before the third sip.

What's in Still Branch Old Fashioned mix? Dark brown sugar for the spine, sorghum and maple for depth, Italian Marasca cherry, two bitters, and orange extract for citrus — kettle-made in Portland, Oregon.