Country Girl Old Fashioned
Sorry for my absence from the blog for a while. So much to catch you all up on but just know my absence is due to the craziness of the season winding down and some fun collaborations that I’ll fill you all in on in the next few weeks. Thanks for sticking with me through it all!
Today, I’m sharing one of my favorite recipes from my cookbook. And while I try not to do this often on here because I love having the book being it’s own resource for different recipes from the website, I couldn’t help but share this one after we served them up at a very special farm dinner at Tumbleweed this past weekend. I’ll do a post in a few weeks about the dinner but in the meantime ,as the weather cools down and we begin craving things that will warm us from the inside out, these lovely cocktails fit the bill. What I love most about these drinks is that the simple syrup offers such a unique flavor and can be served in a variety of ways–drizzled on ice cream, served on top of buttered toast or enjoyed with another liquor. However, whiskey really is my preferred liquor for this particular drink and I think you’ll agree. For this cocktail I make a simple syrup with honey, cinnamon, cardamom and star anise. A little whiskey and some bitters and viola! The best seasonal cocktail to warm you up on a chilly night. This drink tastes best when enjoyed with good friends all huddled up by a roaring fire (a space heater can work too if you don’t have a fire pit!). It’s really all about the good company and tasty drink. You can make any atmosphere work.
Cheers from Tumbleweed Farm
(photo credit to my dear friend Kate Schwager)
Country Girl Old Fahsioned
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Serves: 4
- 1 cup honey
- 3 cardamom pods
- 1 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 8 ounces whiskey
- 1-2 dashes aromatic bitters
- one large ice cube per drink
Preparation
- In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of water with the honey, cardamom, star anise, and cinnamon stick and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to steep for 20 minutes longer. Strain the mixture and discard the spices; pour the simple syrup into a jar and place in the fridge to chill.
- For each cocktail, combine 2 ounces whiskey, 1/2 ounce simple syrup, 1 to 2 dashes bitters, and a large chunk of ice and stir until chilled.
Notes
*The spiced honey simple syrup can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for 10 days
I will definitely be trying this recipe… I just made a honey simple syrup the other day for a sangria recipe, and loved it. So I’d love to try it with the spices 🙂
I just made this–it’s divine and I am enjoying one as I cook dinner! Could this be turned into a hot toddy, do you think?