Bourbon Soaked Cherry Old Fashioned
Use bourbon soaked cherries for a twist on this classic bourbon cocktail.
Ingredients
Bourbon Soaked Cherries
- 1 cup bourbon
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice or to taste
- 1/3 to 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 pound cherries, pitted
Old Fashioned
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 1/2 ounce bourbon soaked cherry juice
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- large ice cube
- orange peel
- 2 to 3 bourbon soaked cherries
Instructions
Bourbon Soaked Cherries
- Add pitted cherries to a mason jar and set aside.
- Split the vanilla pod and scrape out the beans, adding them to a saucepan along with the pods.
- Add the bourbon, orange juice, sugar, and cinnamon stick to the saucepan. Heat on medium-high, bringing it to a small simmer until all the sugar is dissolved.
- Pour everything (vanilla pod and cinnamon stick included) over the cherries. Cool to room temperature uncovered and then screw the lids on. Store in the refrigerator.
Old Fashioned
- Place a large ice cube in a rock glass.
- Pour the bourbon, cherry juice, and bitters in and stir for 15 seconds.
- Peel a large strip of orange off, twist it over the glass and drop it in. Add some bourbon soaked cherries and stir for 15 seconds.
Notes
Be careful when making the bourbon soaked cherries! Depending on the proof of your bourbon, it can ignite. Don't panic and simply turn off the heat and cover the saucepan with the lid, which will suffocate the flames.
The cherries are best after soaking for at least 3 days. By then they have really taken on the vanilla bean and bourbon flavors.