Apple & Honey Old Fashioned

Fall is my second favorite season, and I love it for almost as many reasons as I love summer. I’ve always thought if summer really has to end, football season is a nice consolation prize. And fall isn’t only football season. It’s also apple, pumpkin, chili, hay ride, leaf piles, scarecrow and – most importantly – bourbon season. Which means it’s Apple & Honey Old Fashioned Cocktail season.

“Wait, bourbon has a season?” you might ask. Um, yeah it does. And it’s fall. Also winter. So I guess bourbon has two seasons. All I know is that I know no better way to warm up on a chilly day than with a glass of bourbon.

What’s in this Apple & Honey Old Fashioned?

You don’t have to be a mixologist or even have fancy ingredients to make this cocktail. You don’t need to make a simple syrup ahead of time. The honey is your simple syrup. Here’s what you’ll need:

• bourbon
• apple cider
• honey
• orange bitters
• apple wedges and cinnamon sticks for garnish

How to make the Apple & Honey Old Fashioned Cocktail

Although there is some debate in the cocktail world about whether to shake or stir a cocktail like an Old Fashioned, the prevailing practice is to stir it. So, that’s what we’ll do here.

Pour your bourbon into a rocks glass, followed by the apple cider and honey. Give it a gentle stir to dissolve the honey. Then, drop your ice into the glass. Finally, top it off with a few dashes of bitters and another gentle stir.

Make it fancy by rimming the glass with cinnamon sugar. If you don’t have a cinnamon stick to burn, grab some fresh rosemary or sage. The aromas are beautiful complements to this cocktail.

What kind of bourbon to use for an Old Fashioned

You don’t need to be a bourbon connoisseur, you just need to know what you like. Try a sipping a few different bourbons on their own first. Smell their subtle scents of oak and vanilla. Taste how they awaken your jaw and warm your throat.

Find a bourbon that tastes smooth, and that warms without burning on the way down. Great bourbons to start with are Basil Hayden’s, Four Roses and Bulleit.

When you mix up this Apple & Honey Old Fashioned Cocktail, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy!

For more fall drink recipes, try these:

• Mulled Spiked Cider
• Thanksgiving Moscow Mules
• Fig Old Fashioned Cocktail

Apple & Honey Old Fashioned

This classic bourbon-based cocktail gets an update with apple cider, honey and cinnamon – perfect for fall!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 0 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Servings 1 cocktail

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 shots bourbon 3 oz.
• 2 shots apple cider 3 oz.
• 2 dashes orange bitters
• 1 tsp. honey
• apple slices & cinnamon sticks for garnish

Instructions

 

• Pour all ingredients into a rocks glass and stir gently until the honey dissolves. Fill glass with ice and garnish with apple slices and cinnamon sticks.

Keyword bourbon, cocktail

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