Winter brings with it a craving for a taste of warmth and sunshine to get us through these great days. This honey old fashioned recipe utilizes lemon fermented raw honey as a sweetener, and on grey days like this, it's a welcome way to wind down the day.
I have to be honest, the first time I had an old-fashioned I definitely didn't like it. As someone who was straight edge and he'll they were 28, Took my time as I learned about different cocktails and what I liked and how to articulate that. I was sitting in Eataly with an executive chef of a restaurant I was working for Hill offered me a sip of his old-fashioned. I made what I would call my "five-year-old face " and instead ordered a peach, Bellini. Since then my palette has developed as well as my knowledge of spirits and classic cocktails.
Old Fashioned cocktails are made with sugar and bitters, so they take their name from the way drinks were made before the late 1800s, when bartenders replaced sugar syrups and liqueurs with soda water. Most recipes call for simple syrup (1:1 ratio of sugar and water) but depending on your taste; you can make a honey old-fashioned by replacing the simple syrup with honey in the same 1:1 ratio.
Tasting Notes
A honey old-fashioned has a similar flavor profile to a standard cocktail version. However, it is still quite different because of the slight difference between the two sweeteners. The honey will not change your drink's color or overall flavor profile, but it will add another layer of sweetness that does not come across as being artificial. This cocktail also has a bit more viscosity than traditional versions, giving it a slightly thicker mouthfeel that is quite pleasing.
The main difference in a honey old-fashioned is its viscosity, making this an ideal substitution for drinkers who like their cocktails extremely sweet.
Preparation Notes
As you might expect from its sweetness, honey has many benefits in terms of health and nutrition. It contains antioxidants (which fight free radicals), vitamins (including B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, and folic acid), and minerals (including iron, phosphorus, manganese, copper, zinc, magnesium, and selenium).
What is an Old Fashioned Cocktail?
It's a mixture of whiskey, bitters, and sugar topped off with a twist of citrus peel (usually orange). Add ice to your glass, pour in some whiskey, add two dashes of bitters, and dissolve a couple of teaspoons (or more) of sugar in the bottom of the glass by rubbing it around with your muddler or stirring it with a spoon. Finally, add your orange peel and enjoy!
Why use honey as a sweetener?
Honey and bitters go together. Using honey as a sweetener in an old fashioned is delicious!
Honey is a delicious alternative to traditional sweeteners like simple syrup or sugar in cocktails. It's smooth and can easily be incorporated into your favorite cocktail. Here are some reasons why you should try honey the next time you're making an old fashioned:
Honey is sweeter than granulated white sugar; and other sweeteners. A tablespoon of honey equals 64 calories and 16 grams of carbohydrates, while a tablespoon of granulated white sugar has about 46 calories and 17 grams of carbohydrates.
That makes honey about twice as sweet; you only need half as much for the same level of sweetness.
Because honey is sweeter, it also masks the taste of alcohol. Some people shy away from cocktails because they don't like the bitter taste of spirits or mixers like tonic water. But if you add honey instead of sugar or another sweetener, you won't notice the bitterness as much — plus, honey will sweeten your drink without adding extra calories or carbohydrates.
Mixing honey with bitters creates a wonderful balance between sweet and bitter flavors in
History of the Old Fashioned
The Old Fashioned's origins are a bit hazy, but one of the most accepted versions of the story is that it was created in the 1880s at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky. We know that it contains whiskey, sugar, and bitters, which makes it a cousin to other whiskey-based cocktails like the Sazerac and Manhattan.
Ingredients
- Lemon fermented honey (or 1:1 honey syrup of your choice)
- Angustora bitters
- bourbon or whiskey (I love love love Rowan's Creek but use what you like!)
- cherry or garnish of choice
Instructions
- Place honey syrup and Angostura bitters into a chilled Old Fashioned glass
- Add the bourbon and fill the glass with water to chill.
- Stir well to mix and.
- Add more ice if needed.
If using a fresh orange peel or lemon wheel: Using a muddler, press the lemon wheel gently against the bottom of the glass to release its oils and add them to the drink.
Otherwise, you can just squeeze some fresh lemon juice into your glass before adding the drink—the choice is yours.
Garnish Suggestions
Garnish an Old Fashioned with something aromatic, like a slice of orange or lemon peel or a sprig of rosemary. Here are some other garnishes you can use:
- Maraschino cherry
- Orange wedge
- Lemon peel
- Cherry
- Cinnamon stick (for a spicy Old Fashioned)
- Aromatic herbs like rosemary, sage, mint, and lavender (for a floral touch)
- Wedge of pineapple or mango
- Dusty-looking sea salt (like Maldon)
FAQ
Old Fashioned is a whiskey cocktail that is usually served over ice. Some people like the taste of whiskey better when it has been cooled in the freezer for a while. This is an easy way to serve an Old Fashioned, but some purists prefer not to use ice at all because they think it dilutes the flavor of the whiskey.
Just a couple of dashes. None of that fancy bitters swizzling, though, please. The point is not to make it look pretty but to make it taste good.
You can't go wrong with the classic Angostura brand. If you want something a little more adventurous, try orange bitters or even chocolate bitters (also known as mole bitters).
This is a drink that's supposed to be sipped. It's sweet and strong, and it has a lot going on flavor-wise, with multiple aromatics and ingredients such as bitters and sugar. I think its complexity is best revealed – or concealed, depending on your perspective – by the addition of water or ice.
You can make an Old Fashioned with any type or brand of whiskey you like. Bourbon would be traditional, but I've also had them made with whisky. The key is to use a relatively low-proof whiskey.
What do you garnish an Old Fashioned with? It depends on where you are. In the U.S., people put a cherry in it. Some places they put a maraschino cherry, some just a plain one. Sometimes they leave out the cherry and instead put an orange slice or a lemon twist in the drink. In Italy, the preferred garnish is a cinnamon stick, sometimes toasted and stuck in the drink so that it floats on top.
Recipe
📖 Recipe
Lemon Honey Bourbon Old Fashioned
This bourbon cocktail is my favorite winter cocktail. This Lemon honey old fashioned is sweet, spicy, and beautifully balanced. Check out the instructions for making this bar drink. I hope you'll enjoy this cocktail as much as I do!
Ingredients
- 1 oz. Bourbon
- 3 dashes Angostura Bitters
- ¼ oz honey syrup
- 1 large ice cube
Instructions
- Place honey syrup and Angostura bitters into a chilled Old Fashioned glass
- Add the bourbon and add a large ice cube to the glass to chill.
- Stir well to mix
- Add more ice if needed.
Notes
If using a fresh orange peel, use a swizzle stick or stirrer to muddle the fruit peel and release its oils into the cocktail before dropping it into the glass.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
1Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 85Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 4gProtein: 0g
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