How to Make an Old Fashioned - Featuring JaNee Nyberg, 10 Years Ago vs. Today

If you have ever had the pleasure of meeting Jim Beam Bourbons 7th Generation Master Distiller Fred Noe you know that Fred doesn’t sugar coat anything. If he’s got something to say, he’ll dang well say it. And if you ask him how to best drink bourbon whiskey you’ll get some version of the same thing every time.

“Drink it any damn way you want. If you want to put ice in it, go for it. You know my Mom drinks her bourbon with ginger ale and I never saw Booker give her s#!t for doing it. If you want to add a little Ginger Ale, water, cocktails. I don’t like rules on it.”
~ Fred Noe, Jim Beam Master Distiller

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I think even Fred might take exception to the time 10 years ago when actress and bartender JaNee Nyberg recorded a video on ‘How to Make an Old Fashioned’. At the time she was making dozens of how-to cocktail videos for the now defunct search engine called Mahalo. Fortunately for us her colorful videos live on forever and ever.

It seems every few months one of JaNee’s cocktail making videos gets discovered and creates a whole new viral buzz around her heavy handed pours and non-conventional ways to make a cocktail. If you do a search, there are dozens of them.

It was about 10 years ago that she made one of most famous videos on ‘How to Make an Old Fashioned.’ You can see it here for your viewing pleasure.

How to Make an Old Fashioned (The Original)




Well, a lot has changed in JaNee’s life in the last 10 years. The former actress and that was once featured on soap operas like Young and The Restless has moved on.

She’s now married with a young son and teaches AP History in California. Fortunately for us, she hasn’t totally hung up her bar tending skills. Now in a partnership with Jim Beam she’s back and making that classic Old Fashioned again. Only this time she’s measuring things and using the proper ingredients. Take a look at the redemption version of How to Make an Old Fashioned.

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How to Make an Old Fashioned (The Redemption Version)

Granted, it may not be nearly as entertaining as the original but at least you will still know your name after drinking this version.




Bonus Video: How to Make a Dr. Kevorkian

And just so you don’t think her skills from 10 years ago were limited to bourbon here’s another video also with a heavy pour that teaches us ‘How to Make a Dr. Kevorkian Cocktail’ using Dr. Pepper and Vodka. As JaNee says, “Who here doesn’t like Dr. Pepper?” You too may wish you were dead after this!

Don’t say we didn’t warn you.




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