Spiced Honey Bourbon Old Fashioned

My covid Christmas Eve plans involved sharing a couple of cocktails with a few friends, and a zoom call in which to drink said cocktails and eat dinner together. We shared some stories and read a Moomin adventure of Midwinter, which seemed fitting. My contribution was an old fashioned with a  honey simple syrup spiced with rosemary, cardamom, ginger and cinnamon. I topped it off with a few bourbon cherries that I put away last summer, and a sprig of rosemary from the rosemary plant in my kitchen. It was delicious. The rosemary addition really hits the spot - more winter spiced, somehow. Afterwards I ate the ginger and chewed on the rosemary from the simple syrup making - honey coated goodness! 

The original recipe uses a bit more juice than I did and is served up; I had mine over ice and I added the cherries and a little of their liquid, hence the red hue. Mine was perhaps stronger than the original, which could be remedied with a bit more juice. I forgot to take a final drink photo, but it was the perfect thing to make in a larger batch and pour servings over ice. Imagine this concoction in a glass with a lemon peel, rosemary, and cherries.

Spiced Honey Syrup, serves 6

• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus more for serving
• 2 cinnamon sticks (or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
• 1 tablespoon cardamom pods (or 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom)
• 1 inch fresh ginger, sliced
• zest of 1 orange

Old Fashioned (for 1 - multiply by 6 to make large batch)

• 2 ounces (1/4 cup) bourbon
• 1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) orange or clementine juice
• 1-2 dashes orange bitters
• 1-2 ounces (2-4 tablespoons) spiced honey syrup
• Garnish: bourbon cherries, rosemary, & orange or lemon peel 

 

To make the spiced honey syrup: In a medium pot, bring 1/2 cup water, the honey, rosemary, cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger to a boil over high heat. Boil 2-3 minutes, then remove from the heat. Stir in the orange zest and vanilla. Let cool. This syrup makes enough for about 6 drinks.

 

Mix all ingredients together (can do this in a larger batch if making en masse) in a glass with ice. Stir, and  garnish with bourbon cherries (opt), rosemary sprig, and lemon peel.