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.

Bourbon Sour Cherries

The sour cherries are prolific! I will not be able to try these for 6 weeks, but I feel fairly confident that they will be delicious because my friend makes a similar recipe each year and I've had at least a couple of Manhattens with her cherries and a splash of the syrup. The more traditional option for this would be brandy, but I only had bourbon and didn't feel like a trip to the store, so bourbon cherries it is. These will be excellent in some future cocktails, or atop some dessert, if you like that kind of thing.

This recipe makes about 1 quart. I had a little liquid leftover, and more cherries, so I made a mini jar which will be a nice gift somewhere down the line. This recipe came from an online search, though I modified her technique to be more simple and with less dishes!

Bourbon Cherries
1 1/2 pounds of sour cherries, pitted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup water
juice of one lemon
4 cardamom pods
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup bourbon or brandy

1. In a small saucepan, heat sugar, water, lemon juice, spices and bourbon until boiling. Turn off heat and stir so that sugar dissolves. Let cool 10 minutes or so.
2. Fill a quart jar with pitted cherries and pour cooled sugar-bourbon-syrup over the top. Use a small strainer to catch the spices so they do not go into the jar. Cover cherries with enough liquid so they are not exposed to air. Put lid on jar and leave in the fridge for 6 weeks to get the best flavor.
3. After 6 weeks, your cherries and bourbon syrup are ready. They will keep in the fridge for a year.