Gingerbread Old Fashioned

Let’s toast to this jolly season with a gingerbread old fashioned! Full of warming, cozy spices from a homemade gingerbread simple syrup, this Christmas bourbon cocktail is perfect for serving a crowd at your holiday party or sipping on a quiet night by the fireplace.

Course Beverages

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 5

Steeping Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings drink

Calories 192kcal

Author Amanda McGrory-Dixon

Equipment

Small saucepan
Fine-mesh sieve or strainer
Old fashioned glass
Jigger or small measuring cup
Bar spoon

Ingredients

Gingerbread Simple Syrup

1 cup water
1 cup fresh ginger peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
⅔ cup packed dark brown sugar
⅓ cup unsulphured molasses not the blackstrap variety
1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Gingerbread Old Fashioned

2 ounces bourbon
¼ ounce gingerbread simple syrup about 1 teaspoon
2-3 dashes orange bitters
1 large ice cube
Orange twist for garnish, optional
Cinnamon stick for garnish, optional

Instructions

Gingerbread Simple Syrup

In a small saucepan, add the water, ginger, dark brown sugar, molasses, orange zest, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Stir to combine. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil. Stir every so often to help dissolve the sugar.
When the mixture boils and the sugar dissolves, turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Allow to steep for at least 15 minutes.
Strain the syrup to separate the solids. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Gingerbread Old Fashioned

In an old fashioned glass, add the bourbon, gingerbread simple syrup and orange bitters. Stir to combine.
Add one large ice cube. Stir about 15-20 times to chill and just slightly dilute the mixture.
If desired, garnish with an orange twist and cinnamon stick. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

When making one gingerbread old fashioned at a time, prepare it directly in the glass. To prepare multiple old fashioned cocktails at a time, however, a mixing glass is traditional, or you could even use a pitcher for serving a large crowd. For a 12-serving batch, use 3 cups bourbon, ¼ cup gingerbread simple syrup, ⅓ cup water (to account for dilution) and ¾ ounce bitters. Stir together and store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

As long as you keep the simple syrup stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, it should last for several weeks.
While one large ice cube is recommended for best results, you can substitute standard-size ice cubes if need be. Just know you’ll get more dilution.
An old fashioned isn't very sweet, so we only need a small amount of simple syrup. But you can always add more simple syrup to suit your taste.
Don’t feel like you need to spend a fortune on your bourbon. A high-quality, mid-range bourbon, such as Makers Mark, Four Roses or Buffalo Trace, is perfect for this Christmas old fashioned.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Nutrition