The Old Fashioned may be known as the world’s first cocktail, but the whiskey drink has endured a long, on-again-off-again relationship with the American palate. Since the dawn of the modern cocktail renaissance, the demand for the Old Fashioned has remained high — and so, too, have its costs.
To track the current state of Old Fashioned prices across the country, VinePair asked leading on-premise data and insights company Ground Signal to find the whiskey cocktail’s average cost in each state and Washington, D.C. Ground Signal — which provides artificial intelligence-powered data to help beverage-alcohol brands to boost their on-premise sales — surveyed 37,471 Old Fashioneds at 26,755 cocktail venues across the U.S. to compare the state-by-state average price for the cocktail.
Perhaps surprisingly, Nevada has the highest average price for an Old Fashioned of all states at $17.51 — and the only to reach above $17. (Do Las Vegas tourists have an affinity for the whiskey cocktail? Probably: The city’s old-timey, Rat Pack-y ambiance is cause for such a classic drink.) Behind Nevada are Hawaii at $16.92, New York at $16.32, and Vermont at $16.28. Utah, where the whiskey cocktail goes for $15.95, rounds out the top five priciest states for Old Fashioneds.
The average cost for the classic cocktail across the entire U.S. is $14.38, and 21 states recorded a mean price above the national average.
So which states offer the best deal? Wisconsin is the least-expensive state for a whiskey Old Fashioned at $10.75 — even though the state is more well known for its own brandy-spiked take on the drink. Just above it are Nebraska ($11.38) and Mississippi ($11.49). Iowa and Oklahoma finish off the five cheapest states for an Old Fashioned at $11.80 and $11.89, respectively. Those five are the only states with mean prices below $12.
Curious to see how your state compares? Check out the map and table below charting the state-by-state average prices for an Old Fashioned across the U.S.
The Average Price for an Old Fashioned in Every State
| State | Average Price |
| Nevada | $17.51 |
| Hawaii | $16.92 |
| New York | $16.32 |
| Vermont | $16.28 |
| Utah | $15.95 |
| California | $15.52 |
| Washington, D.C. | $15.51 |
| Montana | $15.39 |
| Massachusetts | $15.16 |
| Wyoming | $15.07 |
| Florida | $15.05 |
| New Jersey | $14.99 |
| Colorado | $14.71 |
| New Hampshire | $14.63 |
| North Carolina | $14.62 |
| Alaska | $14.61 |
| Arizona | $14.56 |
| Washington | $14.53 |
| Delaware | $14.48 |
| Georgia | $14.47 |
| Rhode Island | $14.40 |
| South Carolina | $14.24 |
| Connecticut | $14.11 |
| Pennsylvania | $14.06 |
| Illinois | $14.05 |
| Texas | $13.96 |
| Maine | $13.89 |
| Michigan | $13.85 |
| Tennessee | $13.84 |
| Maryland | $13.67 |
| Virginia | $13.63 |
| Minnesota | $13.56 |
| Missouri | $13.43 |
| Oregon | $13.39 |
| Alabama | $13.33 |
| Ohio | $13.13 |
| New Mexico | $13.12 |
| Louisiana | $13.11 |
| Indiana | $13.06 |
| West Virginia | $12.88 |
| North Dakota | $12.78 |
| Idaho | $12.73 |
| Kansas | $12.72 |
| South Dakota | $12.65 |
| Kentucky | $12.63 |
| Arkansas | $12.08 |
| Oklahoma | $11.89 |
| Iowa | $11.80 |
| Mississippi | $11.49 |
| Nebraska | $11.38 |
| Wisconsin | $10.75 |
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