Chai Old Fashioned

When you need a cozy cocktail, look no further than this chai old fashioned! Made with a brown sugar-chai simple syrup and citrusy bitters, this bourbon cocktail is the perfect sipper for those chilly nights by the fire.

During the fall and winter months, we can't have enough old fashioned recipes in our back pocket. While your standard old fashioned never goes out of style, putting a twist on a classic cocktail is a memorable way to elevate an evening. With the warming bourbon and rich chai spice, this take on an old fashioned sets the mood for a relaxing evening with good company.

Best of all, this chai old fashioned couldn't be easier to whip up, which makes for stress-free hosting duties. Sure, the chai addition sounds fancy and impressive to your guests, but all it takes is a quick boil and steep to extract our chai spice and a little stirring for our cocktail. Even the beginner mixologist can make this crowd-pleasing, easy bourbon cocktail.

Bonus: If you love this drink, make sure you also check out my maple bourbon sour, spiced cranberry old fashioned and apple cider old fashioned! This smoked old fashioned from Cook What You Love is also a nice option.

Ingredients

To make this chai old fashioned, here's everything we need.

• Bourbon
• Dark brown sugar
• Chai tea
• Orange bitters
• Orange twist
• Luxardo cherry
• Cinnamon stick

For the bourbon, I recommend a high-quality brand that doesn't break the bank. Cheap bourbon is never a good idea as far as I'm concerned, but that's even more true when it comes to an old fashioned. We don't use much sweetener in an old fashioned, so a harsh, low-quality bourbon will taste painfully obvious.

Still, we are adding a few ingredients, so this isn't the time to bust out a rare bottle. For bourbon cocktails, I tend to reach for Maker’s Mark, Buffalo Trace, Elijah Craig, Stranahan’s, Four Roses or Woodford Reserve.

Angostura bitters are the traditional flavoring for an old fashioned, but these days, you can get so many different specialty bitters. Why not take advantage of all these bitters for a modern twist on an old fashioned? Orange bitters nicely complement the warm spices and add a welcomed brightness. Of course, you can use angostura bitters, but I think you'll love the extra touch of citrus.

How to Make Chai Simple Syrup

Before we start on our cozy bourbon cocktail, we need to make our brown sugar-chai simple syrup, which I originally shared on the blog in 2018.

We do this by simply boiling together dark brown sugar and water. While you could use light brown sugar, I recommend the dark variety. Dark brown sugar has a richer flavor thanks to the extra molasses.

As the mixture comes to a boil, we give it a stir every so often to help dissolve the sugar. Once it boils and our sugar dissolves, we turn off the heat, add a chai tea bag and let it steep just as if you were making a cup of tea.

After the simple syrup steeps, we remove the tea bag and chill. The simple syrup will last several weeks in the refrigerator, so you can take care of this step well ahead of time for even easier entertaining.

Step-by-Step Instructions

With our brown sugar-chai simple syrup prepared, we're ready to start on our spiced old fashioned. We grab an old fashioned glass and add the simple syrup and a few dashes of our orange bitters and give it a stir.

Now we add one big ice cube along with our bourbon and give it a good stir. By using one large ice cube rather than your standard ice cubes, we get less dilution. We want some dilution, but we don't want to overdo it. Plus, it just looks fancy and fun. Of course, you can use standard ice cubes, but I love using the large ice cube when possible.

I picked up my ice cube molds on Amazon, but I've also seen them in POP displays at liquor stores. Your typical kitchen store, like Bed, Bath and Beyond, is also a good bet.

From here, we cut off a 2-inch orange peel slice, twist it over our glass and drop it into our drink. This releases the oil and fragrance for an extra citrusy kick. For the perfect finishing touch, we add a Luxardo cherry and cinnamon stick, and that's it! Now we sip away on the coziest of cozy cocktails.

Perfect Pairing

This chai old fashioned calls for a bold meal to stand up to the bourbon, and I have just the right match: my apple cider pot roast. The caramel-like notes from the bourbon are lovely with our braised beef.

When you need a comforting, warming bourbon cocktail, I hope you try this chai old fashioned.

Cheers!

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📖 Recipe

Chai Old Fashioned

When you need a cozy cocktail, look no further than this chai old fashioned! Made with a brown sugar-chai simple syrup and citrusy bitters, this bourbon cocktail is the perfect sipper for those chilly nights by the fire.

5 from 118 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Beverages

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 1 drink

Calories: 159kcal

Author: Amanda McGrory-Dixon

Equipment

• ▢
  Small saucepan
• ▢
  Old fashioned glass
• ▢
  Bar spoon
• ▢
  Jigger or small measuring cup
• ▢
  Large ice cube tray (optional but recommended)

Ingredients

Brown Sugar-Chai Simple Syrup

• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ 1 cup 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• ▢ 1 chai tea bag

Chai Old Fashioned

• ▢ 1 teaspoon brown sugar-chai simple syrup see note
• ▢ 3 dashes orange bitters
• ▢ 1 large ice cube
• ▢ 2 ounces bourbon
• ▢ Orange peel slice for garnish
• ▢ Luxardo cherry for garnish
• ▢ Cinnamon stick for garnish

Instructions

Brown Sugar-Chai Simple Syrup

• Add water and sugar to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Turn off heat once the brown sugar dissolves and add tea bag. Steep for at least five minutes.
• Remove tea bag and then chill. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for several weeks.

Chai Old Fashioned

• In an old fashioned glass, add the brown sugar-chai simple syrup and orange bitters. Stir to combine.
• Add the ice cube and bourbon and stir to chill and help the ice cube start to slowly melt. 
• Twist the orange peel over the old fashioned glass to release the oil and add to glass along with the cherry and cinnamon stick. Enjoy!

Notes

• Old fashioned cocktails don't traditionally use a lot of sweetener, so this recipe was developed to use a level that's in line with your typical old fashioned. However, if you would like a sweeter cocktail or more chai, feel free to stir in a little extra to suit your taste. 
• If you don't have a large ice cube mold, you can use a few standard ice cubes, but you'll get more melting. 
• For full tips, please see blog post.
• 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: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Sugar: 3g

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