Ingredients
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 1¾ ounces apple cider
- ½ ounce cinnamon simple syrup
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- 4 dashes Angostura bitters
- Ice and king cube
- Cinnamon stick for garnish
Instructions
- In a mixing glass, add ice, bourbon, apple cider, cinnamon simple syrup, and both bitters.
- Stir rapidly to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice or king cube.
- Garnish with cinnamon stick.
Variations and Substitutions
The beauty of an old-fashioned is that you can change ingredients without upsetting the profile of the final drink too much. Consider a few of these swaps if you're in need.
- You can use plain simple syrup instead of cinnamon.
- Add a splash of allspice dram for a more spiced old-fashioned.
- Use a single dash of smoked bitters for a more complex flavor.
- Replace the bourbon with applejack apple brandy or Crown Royal apple whisky for smooth apple flavor.
Garnishes
This old-fashioned cocktail calls for a cinnamon stick, but you can change up the garnish to better suit the profile you're looking to achieve.
- Using the traditional garnish of an orange peel and Luxardo cherry.
- Add an apple slice.
- Use an orange slice.
About Apple Cider Old-Fashioneds
The classic old-fashioned has aged gracefully over the years, from the first recipe used to today's modern recipe and beyond to the riffs it has inspired. It first showed up in the 1800s and was nothing more than a spirit, only sometimes it was a bourbon old-fashioned, and other times it was a brandy old-fashioned, with bitters, water, and sugar, either coarse or as a cube. From there, bartenders began to change the recipe as they saw fit, some adding orange liqueur or other spirits, with varying proportions from bar to bar. It wouldn't be until the early 1900s that garnishes began to appear more consistently, typically nothing more than an orange slice and cherry, or both in combination. But like the recipes, each bar had its own style. Some would muddle these garnishes with the sugar cube, a trend that would continue into the 1990s.
Today, the cocktail world has a surplus of riffs on the old-fashioned, some born out of curiosity and some from necessity. The apple cider old-fashioned is one of the results of the cocktail-world changing season by season.
Old-Fashioned Apples
Apples and the old-fashioned make an easy-to-understand match. Both are classic flavors that are easy to pair with other flavors, both are beloved, and both combine to create an incredible and unique cocktail. When the time inevitably comes that you have an excess of apple cider and a curious desire for a new cocktail, the apple cider old-fashioned will be waiting for you.
