Cherry Old Fashioned

🥃 Why We Love This Recipe

• Sweet, tart, spiced: This cherry old fashioned has so much complex flavor. Sweetness and tartness from the cherry juice, rich, spiced bourbon, caramel-y maple syrup, intense bitters, and refreshing lemon juice. Each sip is perfectly balanced!
• Easy to make: It only takes a few minutes (and a few basic ingredients) to whip up one of these beautiful cocktails.
• Perfect for spring or summer: A traditional old fashioned makes me think of cozier fall and winter months. This version is a great way to lighten it up a bit for warmer months!

🍒 Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this cherry old fashioned:

📋 Ingredient Notes

• Bourbon / whiskey: Bourbon is typically the preferred spirit for an old fashioned, but regular whiskey will do just fine. Since you're mixing it with cherry juice and maple syrup, you don't have to break the bank with super expensive bourbon – something less expensive will do.
• Cherry juice: Since we're using maple syrup to slightly sweeten this drink, we'd recommend using a no sugar added cherry juice. If you prefer a sweeter cocktail, feel free to use sweetened cherry juice. We also prefer to use tart cherry juice when we can find it – it has a stronger flavor that we love.
• Bitters: A traditional Old Fashioned is made with angostura bitters, which add an intense spiced, herbal note to the drink. All you need is a few drops! We particularly love these bitters – they have so many unique flavors that add a ton of depth to cocktails.
• Lemon juice: Lemon juice helps balance all of the intense flavors in this cherry old fashioned cocktail. Freshly squeezed is always best.
• Maple syrup: I know it sounds unusual, but trust us – it's fantastic in this recipe! It adds just the right amount of sweetness, while also contributing an earthy, caramel-y flavor that blends beautifully with bourbon. You can also use simple syrup if preferred. Be sure to use real maple syrup, NOT pancake syrup.
• Orange rind: Every perfect old fashioned is finished with orange oil from the rind of an orange. It's not completely essential, but it's traditional and does add flavor and aroma.

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

(1) Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add bourbon or whiskey, cherry juice, lemon juice, maple syrup, and bitters and shake well.

(2) Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist orange rind over the top to release oils, then garnish and enjoy.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

• Bourbon or whiskey? Bourbon is more traditional for an old fashioned, as the drink allegedly originated in Kentucky, a state famous for its bourbon. We suggest using bourbon in this cherry old fashioned, but it will still be great with any whiskey variety.
• Ice cubes: we suggest using a large square or circular ice cube for this cocktail instead of crushed or regular ice. The larger the ice cube, the slower it will melt, which will prevent this drink from getting watered down.
• Storage: you can make a few batches of this cherry old fashioned and store in a pitcher in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Just make sure to stir well again before pouring to make sure the syrup is evenly incorporated.
• Use a no sugar added cherry juice. If using sweetened cherry juice, we suggest using half the amount of maple syrup to prevent the finished cocktail from being too sweet.
• Garnishes: An orange peel is traditional, but we also love to garnish the finished drink with a fresh cherry or two.

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