Order an Old Fashioned, and you order a piece of history. It is older than the word cocktail in common use, made from just four ingredients, and harder to get right than almost anything else on the list. That is what makes it a good test of any cocktail bar in Ubud; there is nothing to hide behind. At Pinstripe Bar, the answer to that test is an Old Fashioned made the classic way, then turned gently towards Bali.
What Defines an Old Fashioned Cocktail
Take away a century of variations, and the recipe is very short. A spirit, usually whiskey, a little sugar, a few dashes of bitters, and a splash of water, stirred over ice and finished with an orange peel. That is the whole drink. Among old-fashioned cocktails, the appeal is in that simplicity, because four ingredients leave no room for error. Get the balance right, and it is timeless. Get it wrong, and there is no fruit or fizz to cover the gap.
A Short History of the Old Fashioned
For such a simple drink, the past behind it runs deep. When a New York newspaper defined the word cocktail in 1806, it described a mix of spirit, sugar, water, and bitters, which is the Old Fashioned without the name. In the decades after, bartenders added liqueurs, fruit, and other touches until the cocktail changed beyond recognition. Drinkers who preferred the original began asking for theirs made the old-fashioned way, and the name stuck. The drink passed through fruit-heavy, soda-topped versions through the twentieth century before the recent craft revival returned it to its simple roots. The Pinstripe version belongs to that revival.
Is an Old Fashioned a Very Strong Drink
The short ingredient list hides a lot of spirit. With only sugar, bitters, and a splash of water alongside the whiskey, the Old Fashioned is spirit at its most direct. The ice chills and softens it as it melts, but it is still a drink to sip rather than rush. Its strength is the point, and a good one asks you to slow down, which is part of why it has outlasted so many trends. If you are new to it, start slowly and let the flavour come to you.
The Old Fashioned at Pinstripe Bar
The classic sets the standard, and the Pinstripe Bar version answers it with a local accent. The structure stays true to the original: spirit at the front, sweetness and bitterness behind it, but the supporting ingredients come from closer to home. It is the kind of considered reinvention you hope for from a cocktail bar in Ubud that respects a classic rather than just copying it. The result is clearly an Old Fashioned, but one that tastes of where it is poured.
The Local Twist
The Pinstripe Old Fashioned is built on Bulleit Rye and Bourbon with mesoyi, a house blend of bitters, and beeswax. The mesoyi adds a warm, gently spiced note from the region, while the beeswax gives the drink a soft, rounded texture you rarely find in a standard pour. The whiskey holds the centre, drawn from the same whisky and spirits collection that anchors the rest of Pinstripe’s bar, while the local touches colour the edges. A familiar drink arrives with a clearly Balinese character, the same drink people have loved for generations, made to taste of the island on which it is served.
How to Enjoy an Old Fashioned
A drink this deliberate is best met the right way. Take it over ice in a short, heavy glass, stirred and never shaken, so it stays clear and smooth. Give it time, as the flavour opens up while the ice loosens. It works at the start of an evening to wake the palate, or at the end as a quiet finish. Set it beside something rich from the kitchen and let the bitters cut through. However you take it, it rewards attention more than speed.
Settle In With an Old Fashioned at Pinstripe Bar
Some drinks are made for a crowd and a rush. This is not one of them. The Old Fashioned asks for a comfortable seat, an unhurried hour, and good company, which is exactly the evening on offer at this cocktail bar in Ubud. Come for the classic done properly, stay for the local twist that makes it ours, and let a slow night above the rice fields do the rest. Reserve your table and taste the oldest cocktail with a Balinese accent.
