Bittermilk No. 1 Bourbon Barrel Old Fashioned Mixer
Bittermilk No. 1 Bourbon Barrel Old Fashioned Mixer is an 8.5 fl oz non-alcoholic concentrate aged in Willett bourbon barrels — stir one part mixer with four parts rye or bourbon over ice, garnish with orange peel, for about 17 Old Fashioneds per bottle, available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- Format: non-alcoholic concentrate, 8.5 fl oz (251 mL)
- Yield: about 17 cocktails per bottle
- Recipe: 1 part No. 1 to 4 parts rye or bourbon, stir with ice, orange peel garnish
- Ingredients: golden cane sugar, burnt cane sugar, fresh orange peel, spices, gentian root, cinchona bark, tartaric acid
- Barrel: aged in Willett bourbon barrels
- Origin: handcrafted by Bittermilk Bottling Co., Charleston, SC
The Garden & Gun Winner That Started It All
No. 1 is the original Bittermilk recipe and the bottle that put the Charleston company on the map — it won Garden & Gun's "Made in the South" drink category in 2013, followed by coverage in the Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, and Southern Living. The formula reads like an old-fashioned deconstructed into a bottle: golden and burnt cane sugars for depth, real orange peel, baking spices, and a bitter backbone from gentian root and cinchona bark — then it's rested in Willett bourbon barrels, which layer in oak and barrel char without adding a drop of whiskey. Stir it 1:4 with a high-rye bourbon or straight rye and it drinks like a cocktail you built from scratch. See the rest of the Bittermilk collection, or reach for the Bittermilk No. 2 Tom Collins Mixer when the occasion calls for something light and sparkling.
Tasting Notes
Burnt caramel and orange oil lead, with cinnamon, clove, and allspice unfolding behind. The gentian-and-cinchona bitterness keeps the sweetness honest, and the Willett barrel aging adds vanilla, toasted oak, and a whisper of char. Stirred with rye, it lands squarely in classic Old Fashioned territory.
How to Enjoy
Pour one part No. 1 and four parts rye (or bourbon, or aged rum) into a rocks glass with a big cube of ice, stir until chilled, and express an orange peel over the top. A brandied cherry is optional but never wrong.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there whiskey in Bittermilk No. 1?
No — it's non-alcoholic. The "bourbon barrel" refers to aging the mixer in Willett bourbon barrels for oak and char flavor, not to any whiskey content.
How many Old Fashioneds does a bottle make?
About 17 cocktails at the 1:4 recipe ratio, per the majority of sources — a little goes a long way since it's super-concentrated.
What won it the Garden & Gun award?
No. 1 took Garden & Gun's 2013 "Made in the South" drink category, its launch-year breakthrough.
Has the recipe changed?
The brand has been moving toward organic ingredients — some retailers now list burnt organic cane sugar, demerara, and orange oleo saccharum — but the core profile of caramel, orange, spice, and gentian bitterness is unchanged.
For a scratch-tasting Old Fashioned without the prep work, get Bittermilk No. 1 online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.