Vanilla Blood Orange Old Fashioned Recipe
Sarah & I spent the weekend celebrating American independence by going to the beach, watching The Patriot, reading about the Declaration of Independence, and drinking prohibition era cocktails.
Sarah learned a recipe for the Clover Club and, while I sampled about four of those delicious drinks, I thought fondly about my love for bourbon. As for my own offering to the internet, I would like to present a slight variation on the classic Old Fashioned cocktail recipe.
Vanilla Blood Orange Old Fashioned
What you will need:
(For Old Fashioned Cocktail)
- Whiskey glass, jigger, shaker
- 1.5 oz (1 Jigger) of Bourbon Whiskey
- 1 Blood orange
- Bitters (I like: Angostura Bitters, Tuthilltown Basement Bitters, Sevenstills Cocktail Bitters)
- 2 Teaspoons vanilla syrup
- 1 Cup ice cubes
(For Vanilla Syrup)
- 1 Vanilla bean
- 1 Cup water
- 1 Cup sugar
Step 1 | Make vanilla bean simple syrup by adding sugar and water to a small sauce pan. Slice the vanilla bean down the center and scrape out all of the tiny black seeds. Add the seeds and the pod into the water/sugar mixture. Turn the stove to medium high and heat the mixture for 10-15 minutes- until it comes to a boil and the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove the vanilla bean syrup from the heat and pour it into a glass container for storage. You can save this syrup in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Step 2 | Cut desired number of slices from your blood orange. I usually do at least one slice to be shaken with the cocktail and one more for garnish.
Step 3 | In a shaker combine 1 tbsp water, 2 tbsp homemade vanilla bean syrup, 1.5 oz bourbon, a few dashes of bitters, and 1-2 slices of blood orange.
Step 4 | Shake cocktail mixture vigorously and add ice to your whiskey glass.
Step 5 | Pour cocktail mixture over ice, garnish with a slice of blood orange, and enjoy!
I know it isn't a traditional Old Fashioned but I find this cocktail to be totally delicious and enjoyable. Let me know if you have any edits or bourbon recipe suggestions!
