apple cider old fashioned
The dew point was 69 this afternoon! FALL YA’LL.
Here in Florida, if you’re a seasoned southerner like me, there is a marked difference between hot and balls hot as far as the weather goes.
Balls hot swings and smacks you right in the face, an immediate grimace, a mental middle finger to Mother Nature and her cruel summer ways.
Hot, on the other hand, requires a simple acknowledgement of “it’s hot out today” sans the vocal inflections, the audible sighs, the pent-up anger bursting forth in a violent string of swear words.
These past few days, then, have been hot. I don’t grow offended upon walking out my door; I don’t feel it in my bones the second I sit in my car. I walked back from the gym today, the sky bleary and overcast, and wasn’t any sweatier than when I finished my easy elliptical spin.
I call that progress, and I call that fall.
To celebrate, we’re sipping on this Apple Cider Old Fashioned today. A cozy bourbon drink scented with chai syrup and finished with sparkling cider. In fact, the chai syrup stems from our Pumpkin Patch Bourbon Smash a couple weeks ago, so if you have a batch left from that adventure and need a way to use it in a drink, look no further than our friend the old fashioned today!
Love using up components from previous recipes by reshaping them into new formulas.
Old Fashioned, New Drink
To make the chai syrup, simmer some sugar with water in a saucepan until dissolved, then throw in a few chai tea bags and let them steep 10-12 minutes. Once the chai is nicely infused, discard the tea bags.
Aside from that, the cocktail is a breeze. Find your favorite rocks glass and, right in it, stir some of the chai syrup, bourbon, and a few dashes of bitters. Fill with ice and top with sparkling apple cider. This is my favorite brand but use what you can find!
I adorn my drink with a star anise and some apple slices. A cinnamon stick is perfect, too.
FYI, leftover chai syrup with last up to two weeks sealed in the fridge. If you only make one or two beverages this weekend, you’ll have plenty of syrup left for future mixology adventures. Win win!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Cider house rules:
Sparkling Cranberry Cider Tequila Punch
Smoky Apple Cider Bourbon Sour
apple cider old fashioned
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 chai tea bags
- 2 oz bourbon
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- 3 oz sparkling apple cider
- cinnamon stick, apple slices, and/or star anise, to garnish
Instructions
- In a small saucepot, simmer the sugar in 1 cup of water until dissolved, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and drop in the tea bags. Steep 10-12 minutes. Squeeze excess syrup from the used tea bags back into the pot and discard the bags.
- In a cocktail glass, combine the bourbon, 1 oz chai syrup (or more to taste), and the bitters. Stir to combine. Fill the glass with ice and stir again, then top with sparkling apple cider and garnish with apple slices, a cinnamon stick, and a star anise, as desired.
