Apple Cider Old Fashioned

Let’s snuggle up with this warming apple cider old fashioned to get through these chilly months. Full of apple spice, rich dark brown sugar and touch of orange, this seasonal old fashioned brings all your favorite fall flavors together and takes only minutes to whip up. Grab a spot by the fire with this apple cider bourbon cocktail in hand and you’re in for one cozy evening.

When I’m in the mood for a leisurely sipper, nothing satisfies that craving like a good old fashioned. Sometimes I like to stick to the classic recipe, but with these crisp autumn days, we could all use something with a little extra warming power.

Enter our apple cider addition. With the apple cider’s cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and allspice, we get a punch of spice that makes for the perfect warming cocktail. I don’t know about you, but once October hits, I basically enter a permanent state of cold until about April, so a warming cocktail works wonders on my body.

Bonus: If you love this fall old fashioned, also try my apple cider margarita and peanut butter old fashioned!

Ingredients

Let's get to sipping. Here are our apple cider old fashioned ingredients.

• Bourbon
• Apple cider, homemade or store-bought
• Dark brown sugar
• Fresh orange peel
• Water
• Bitters
• Ice

For the bourbon, I recommend a high-quality yet reasonably priced bourbon. Bad, cheap bourbon will wreck you, but with the apple cider, bitters, orange peel and dark brown sugar, we’re adding enough extra ingredients that we don't want to mask something like a Pappy Van Winkle. Makers Mark, Elijah Craig, Four Roses and Stranahan’s are some delicious options.

Step-by-Step Instructions

OK, I’m thirsty. Let’s start bartending.

With an old fashioned, we can build the drink directly in our serving glass, or we can use a mixing glass. The mixing glass is convenient if you’re making old fashioneds for a crowd but don’t feel like it’s necessary.

Now that we have our mixing or serving glass, we add a teaspoon of dark brown sugar with a few dashes of bitters, a bar spoonful of water and an orange peel slice and muddle everything until the sugar smooths out. From here, we add our bourbon of choice, apple cider and ice.

While standard ice cubes work fine, but I prefer using one large ice cube. A good old fashioned is a slow sipper, so with one large ice cube, we don’t have to worry about the ice melting too quickly and diluting our drink.

Now we stir our old fashioned for about 15 seconds —- just enough to chill it. Again, we don’t want to dilute this cocktail, and too much stirring does just that.

If using a mixing glass, we strain the cocktail into our serving glass, and we’re ready to sip the night away. Tasty, huh?

Perfect Pairing

Look no further than my apple cider pot roast, friends! Bourbon is a great choice with roasted meat —- it’s bold enough to stand up to that hearty cut, and the caramel notes from the bourbon pair perfectly from the caramelization of the beef. And, of course, the spices between the two are a natural match.

Or maybe you'd like to serve this delicious apple-bourbon cocktail with dessert. You can't go wrong with my apple shortcakes or apple spice cupcakes.

When only the coziest cocktail will do, I hope you try this apple cider old fashioned. It's the perfect apple cocktail for the fall.

Cheers!

Need More Fall Cocktails?

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Apple Cider Old Fashioned

Let’s snuggle up with this warming apple cider old fashioned to get through these chilly months. Full of apple spice, rich dark brown sugar and touch of orange, this seasonal old fashioned brings all your favorite fall flavors together and takes only minutes to whip up. Grab a spot by the fire with this apple cider bourbon cocktail in hand and you’re in for one cozy evening.

5 from 75 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Beverages

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Servings: 1 drink

Calories: 168kcal

Author: Amanda McGrory-Dixon

Equipment

• ▢
  Jigger or small measuring cup
• ▢
  Bar spoon
• ▢
  Mixing glass or old fashioned glass

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 orange peel slice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
• ▢ 2-4 dashes orange bitters
• ▢ 1 bar spoonful of water about 1 teaspoon
• ▢ 2 ounces apple cider homemade or store-bought
• ▢ 2 ounces bourbon
• ▢ Ice

Instructions

• In a mixing glass or old fashioned glass, add the orange peel slice and dark brown sugar. Sprinkle a few dashes of bitters on top as well as the bar spoonful of water. Muddle until the dark brown sugar smooths out.
• Pour in the apple cider and bourbon. Add ice. Stir for 15 seconds. If using a mixing glass, strain into an old fashioned glass and add ice. Enjoy!

Notes

• For the ice, I prefer to serve with one large ice cube rather than your typical smaller ice cubes to prevent dilution. You can find molds on Amazon.
• If using a mixing glass, I generally stir with those typical smaller ice cubes, and then I add one large ice cube after straining into the old fashioned glass.
• Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1drink | Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 1mg | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 14mg

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