Spiced Old Fashioned

I like whiskey, but I have to say bourbon is my favorite variety. Its unique, subtly sweet flavor is like nothing else. I’m prone to enjoying a Manhattan cocktail now and then, but I do like an old-fashioned sometimes. I haven’t had one in ages, so I think that’s why this Spiced Old Fashioned practically called my name. The homemade spiced simple syrup sounds perfect for this cooler weather, so I’m giving it a go. Fingers crossed!

An Old Fashioned with a Holiday twist!

Recipe Author: Katrin Björk at Modern Wife Style
Get the recipe

The Ingredients

I do a pantry check before shopping every week, and this time I had almost all the ingredients I needed. All but one, the ginger, but it was easily found at my regular grocery store. I love those short shopping lists!

By the way, I didn’t have maraschino cherries, I had bing cherries. Bada Bing Cherries to be exact. They’re just amazing and sounded perfect for this recipe.

Spiced Old Fashioned Ingredients
Bourbon, brown sugar, Angostura bitters, maraschino cherries, cardamom, star anise, cloves, vanilla bean. cinnamon sticks, black peppercorns, bay leaves, ginger, and orange peel

The Process

The “work” for this recipe was making the spiced simple syrup, and it was pretty easy to do Just boil water, stir in sugar, and add spices. All the spices were whole except the vanilla bean and ginger. The vanilla beans had to be split, and the ginger chopped (but not peeled). Easy peasy!

The spiced simple syrup had to simmer for 7 minutes. Then I removed the saucepan from the heat to cool. finally, I transferred the liquid and spices to a sealed container and refrigerated them overnight. I used a cocktail strainer to remove the pieces the next day, and then I was ready to make my cocktail.

I always keep a couple of ice spheres in my freezer so there was no prep work involved there. All I had to do was pop them into glasses and make my stirred cocktail. A quick garnish with a cherry and a bit of orange peel, and I had two lovely Spiced Old fashioned cocktails.

Chopped ginger, split vanilla bean, and other whole spices
Chopped ginger, split vanilla bean, and other whole spices

Timing

This recipe doesn’t list prep, or total times, only times to simmer and steep the spiced simple syrup. Those times seemed to work perfectly, though. Here’s how the entire process broke down:

  • 12 minutes to make the spiced simple syrup
  • 3 minutes to make and garnish 2 cocktails
  • 15 minutes total

This does not include time to cool and steep overnight.

So how was it?

Clear & Accurate Directions
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This Spiced Old Fashioned is the perfect wintertime bourbon cocktail! It had the familiar old-fashioned cocktail flavors I'm used to with a little extra kick for the spiced simple syrup. I loved the extra sweetness and spice it added! We're talking vanilla, cinnamon, anise, and more, and they work so well with bourbon. The syrup was the real "work" for this recipe, but it was pretty simple to make. It was mostly waiting for the spices to steep in brown sugar simple syrup. Assembling two drinks took just a few minutes even with an orange peel garnish. This is one I have a feeling I will be craving every time we have a cold snap!
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The Hungry Pinnerhttps://www.hungrypinner.com
I'm Candice, and I'm The Hungry Pinner. I created this blog to share my love for cooking and my experiences with the MANY recipes I've found on Pinterest over the years. Join me as I blog my way through those recipes to find out if they are worth trying yourself.

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This Spiced Old Fashioned is the perfect wintertime bourbon cocktail! It had the familiar old-fashioned cocktail flavors I'm used to with a little extra kick for the spiced simple syrup. I loved the extra sweetness and spice it added! We're talking vanilla, cinnamon, anise, and more, and they work so well with bourbon. The syrup was the real "work" for this recipe, but it was pretty simple to make. It was mostly waiting for the spices to steep in brown sugar simple syrup. Assembling two drinks took just a few minutes even with an orange peel garnish. This is one I have a feeling I will be craving every time we have a cold snap!Spiced Old Fashioned