…are some of the reasons I only drink about 2 beers per week on average.
Yeah.
I got the fixings to make an old fashioned and discovered I really really like Angosturra Bitters. There’s been a couple times I’ve ordered a Manhattan out at a bar mistaking it for an Old Fashioned, but they are similar. I had a manhattan at Disneyland that went heavy on the bitters, I remarked to my wife “This is essentially Bourbon and Bitters… and it’s great!” I couldn’t taste the vermouth but that was OK by me.
Yeah, an old fashioned is very close to being just a diluted version of a perfect Manhattan. Or conversely, a Manhattan is a very very strong old fashioned.
Definitely dig a well made old fashioned. Especially if made with rye rather than bourbon.
Margarita? Stop diluting my tequila.
There’s a coffee shop (with beer on tap) that serves a (c)Old Fashioned-old fashioned with coffee infused bourbon. It’s pretty amazing. The coffee flavor isn’t really strong, just enough to get a blend in.
Dark and Stormy is my new “go to”…
I’m a huge fan of D&S. Try making your own ginger beer sometime - it’s a game changer.
Ouch, my brain hurts
Rye is king for both cocktails - however an old fashioned is not alcoholic sunny d, it has a hint of orange. Both cocktails are intended to appreciate the whiskey it is made with. Strong and complex, not sweet. The Manhattan has a lot more dilution than a traditional Old Fashioned. AKA The great old fashioned debate if you want to dive deeper into that history/argument.
Old Fashioned vs Manhattan
Sugar cube (1 cube only to 2 oz whiskey ) vs sweet vermouth to sweeten (2part whiskey to 1part Vermouth)
Orange peel vs brandied cherry
both share bitters - however historically
Fee brothers bitters vs Angostura
stir poured over a lump of ice vs stirred in a shaker glass full of ice/strained
I do enjoy rye whiskey. Both for mixing and for sipping.
Have you heard of Damiana? It’s an herbal liquor from the La Paz region of Baja California Sur. It’s sweet and a little floral. It’s readily available here in Oregon so I would assume other places as well? Sometimes we’ll just mix a pour of tequila with the damiana over ice and call that a “margarita”. (About 2:1 Tequila to Damiana). It still dilutes of course, but not nearly as much as say 2oz of Tequila in 16oz of “Mix” the way Applebees does it.
Rye is a valuable enhancement for a Manhattan. This is a recipe that my wife pulled off the web, excepting that I used Towne Branch Rye instead of bourbon.
1 cup bourbon
2/3 cup sweet vermouth
4 dashes Angostura (I found that it needs an extra dash or two)
4 Orange peel twists
4 Candied cherries
Obviously, this is not for one person!
Challenge accepted… 
On that note, I like to add cherries to my old fashioned so I guess I’m making a hybrid cocktail (although never really thought about it like that).