Simple syrup is flavored with rosemary, maple syrup and cinnamon and combined with bourbon and bitters for this festive winter old fashioned cocktail. Perfect for any bourbon or whiskey lover who wants a winter spiced twist to a classic old fashioned.
What's an old fashioned?
Bourbon is my favorite liquor and I'm well acquainted with an old fashioned. It's an easy recipe and if you have a stocked liquor cabinet, you likely have all the ingredients.
The old fashioned is a fairly simple cocktail created in the 19th century. It's four simple ingredients: water, sugar, bitters and bourbon or whiskey. It's a stirred, not shaken cocktail.
To make a traditional old fashioned, dissolve about ½ teaspoon of sugar in a teaspoon of water in a rocks glass. Add a couple dashes of Angostura bitters and then a couple ounces of bourbon and stir to combine. Add ice and continue stirring to melt the ice slightly.
An old fashioned is typically garnished with a slice of orange peel and a cherry.
Ingredients for a winter spiced cocktail
To give a traditional old fashioned a bit of winter flavor, we start with an easy simple syrup. Bitters and bourbon round out the cocktail. Here's the ingredients you'll need:
- Winter spiced simple syrup
- Fresh rosemary sprigs-fresh sprigs are best to get the most concentrated rosemary flavor
- Maple Syrup-get the real stuff! No pancake syrup here!
- Cinnamon sticks
- Sugar
- Water
- Bourbon-Use your favorite! I wouldn't use a high-end bourbon in this cocktail as we are adding the flavors of the simple syrup to it. I tend to have Bulleit bourbon on hand. It's a nice mid-range bourbon and perfect for a cocktail.
- Angostura Bitters-A concentrated concoction of herbs popular in many cocktails. You can purchase bitters from liquor stores, well-stocked grocery stores or here on Amazon.
How to serve and garnish
Old fashioneds are great served with one large ice ball. If you don't have any ice molds yet, check out these ones on Amazon. With a large chunk of ice, it melts slower and doesn't dilute the drink as quickly as regular ice cubes. Regular ice cubes will work just fine though if you don't have ice molds yet.
I garnished the cocktail with a sprig of rosemary and a cinnamon stick. Obviously, both of these are not edible garnishes but do make the drink look pretty.
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Tag me on Instagram @themarblekitchenblog if you make this and leave a star rating and comment below! Thank you and enjoy!
Winter Old Fashioned
Ingredients
Winter Spiced Simple Syrup
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 cinnamon sticks
Winter Old Fashioned
- 3 teaspoons winter spiced simple syrup
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 2 dashes angostura bitters
- rosemary sprigs and cinnamon sticks for garnish optional
Instructions
Winter Spiced Simple Syrup
- Combine all the simple syrup ingredients in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Bring the syrup to simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
- Once cooled, remove the rosemary springs and cinnamon sticks and discard. Strain the syrup if any rosemary fell off the sprigs.
Winter Old Fashioned
- In a rocks glass, combine 3 teaspoons of the winter spiced simple syrup with 2 ounces of bourbon. Add 2 dashes of bitters. Add ice and stir to combine. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and cinnamon stick if desired.
Notes
- The winter spiced simple syrup will keep for a week or two in the refrigerator. Keep in a covered container like a mason jar.
Denise Manning says
Fantastic holiday drink!!
Suzy q says
When you say add two dashes of bourbon - do you mean bitters?
Tara Kringlen says
Yes! Thank you for catching that. Fixing it now 🙂