You’re hand-crafting a creative cocktail, but searching for some inspiration. Did I have you at apple-cinnamon?
The date night special for the (literal) whiskey lover. A get-together goodie for all the friends. Or perhaps an evening aperitif for some well-deserved alone-time, away from the hype and hustle.
Whatever your motivation, enjoy our twist on an age-old cocktail classic.
All the tasty treats inside.
Whether it’s fall or winter, Thanksgiving, Christmas or Valentine’s Day, the pairing of cooked apples + cinnamon + sugar is delicious and will warm the palate.
An OG Old-fashioned usually contains 2 ounces of bourbon or rye whiskey, a sugar cube or 1 tsp of simple syrup, a few dashes of Angostura bitters, a swirled orange rind and a maraschino cherry. The oaky, spiced sweetness from the whiskey compliments the citric acidity of the rind. Sugar tames the heat of the aged distillate and balances the woodsy, herbal Angostura.
Our version? With the spice-forward flavor profile of a rye, we opted for bourbon to allow the spiciness of the cinnamon to shine through. Softened apples provide the natural sweetness and acidity, along with homemade citrus bitters to harmonize with the brown sugar cooked into the fruit. Powdered cinnamon wasn’t enough – experience the aromatics through an extract AND a fresh stick as well.
Homemade cinnamon extract.
The easiest flavor extract to make? You guessed it (I hope). Cinnamon extract. About as simple as scratch-made vanilla extract.
Steep whole cinnamon sticks in high proof grain alcohol. That’s it. Here’s the recipe below. But if you’re not into scratch-made, we’ve linked a high quality premade cinnamon extract beneath it. For all our extract regulars, consider upgrading to glass dropper bottles for actual good measure.
Homemade Angostura-style citrus bitters.
Create your own bittering agent based one of the original cocktail bitters, Angostura. Simply steep fresh citrus peels and loads of spices in a high proof grain alcohol. Otherwise, purchase your own bottle on Amazon and make all the favorites: Old-fashioned, Manhattan, Pink Gin Pink, Sazerac, original martini, The Sawyer and Rob Roy.
The Apple Cinnamon Old-fashioned.
[cooked-recipe id=”3679″]
Our favorite cocktails + accoutrements to explore.
Up your mixologist game with our go-to homemade cocktail recipes, flavor extracts and bitters. Quick, easy-to-make and delicious pours for sweet AND stiff drink-lovers alike.
