Nothing quite matches the quiet peace of sitting in the comfy chair by the fire, solid book in hand, and sipping your whiskey to the sweet sweet sound of your children screaming bloody murder at your husband who is trying to get them to brush their freakin teeth already and get the god damned hell in bed. But if you still feel like you’re missing something this holiday season, try out this Spiced Old Fashioned!
What’s All That Stuff On Top???
I’ll be honest, an old-fashioned is a really simple cocktail to make and there isn’t really a shit on of wiggle room on the ingredients ratio, so you have GOT to make each element count. In an effort to create that fireside warmth and holiday spice, I decided to up the garnish game on this sucker. I started with a candied orange slice, threw some whole cloves and a star anise and cinnamon stick on top, and toasted them with my brûlée torch until I could smell the smoke and the spice. WHAT. A. DIFFERENCE. I went from sad drinking to the sound of children stomping to luxury drinking and giving zero shits about what I was hearing.
How To Make A Spiced Old Fashioned
Start by setting up your garnish on a plate. You can throw everything on top of the orange peel for easy torching. Next make the actual cocktail. I used some cinnamon syrup I had lying around for another cocktail and added a splash of cranberry juice to complete the aesthetic. After you make the cocktail and have it over your rock, go ahead and torch that garnish, being sure to get those cloves and cinnamon literally burning and smoky. Gently pick up the garnish and set it on the rock, maybe slide that cinnamon stick down in the drink, whatever, I’m not your dad, it’s your drink. Then take a big whiff and sip that sucker all the way to the bottom.
Spiced Old Fashioned Recipe
- 2oz bourbon
- .5oz cinnamon syrup
- .25oz unsweetened cranberry juice
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- 1 dash aromatic bitters
- 4 whole cloves
- candied orange slice
- cinnamon stick
- bourbon cherries
Add all the liquids to a mixing glass, and stir over ice for about 20 seconds. Strain over 1 big cube, torch the garnish and add it on top. Throw in a couple bourbon cherries if you like to munch after you hit the bottom. Enjoy!