Simple and so Fall: Bourbon cocktail recipe

This Friday Night Cocktail recipe is special because it is the Friday before Halloween! I wanted to make a cocktail that was orange in color but not too summery, so I started experimenting with oranges and rosemary, bitters and bourbon. I think I came up with a great spin on the Old Fashioned with a citrus and maple woodsy flavor that is a great Autumnal sipping cocktail.

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Don’t let the ingredients fool you, I am no barista and I made this drink using all ingredients I had on hand in just a few minutes. Add orange slices and a rosemary sprig to a cocktail shaker and muddle them together well to extract the oils. Pour in the remaining liquid ingredients: bourbon, maple syrup, and orange bitters and shake well. Strain into 2 short glasses with a large ice cube in each and garnish with rosemary sprig and an orange slice. I love this large ice cube tray and I always have one ready in the freezer.

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If you don’t have bourbon, feel free to try another kind of whiskey or even rum or vodka.

Side note, I learned that whiskey is only called bourbon if it is aged in charred oak barrels and made from at least 51% corn mash. Most of the bourbon is made in Kentucky (hence, “Kentucky Bourbon”). Thank you Food & Wine Google search! Also, it is “whiskey” in the US and Ireland, and “whisky” in Scotland and Canada. Just some fun facts for your next party trick!

If you liked this recipe, try the Maple Cinnamon Whiskey Sour my friend made. It is another perfectly fall bourbon drink! Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and enjoy!

Tools for the Perfect Cocktail

Mason jar or cocktail shaker