gingerbread house old fashioned
You know, a gingerbread house into which I could crawl in and hide sounds nice about now.
My car overheated en route to work today. I can’t say it wasn’t out of my knowledge that she has a problem – the coolant leak was apparent from about a year ago – but I wasn’t expecting it to just dump coolant during a 15 minute commute. I made it, somehow, even after snailing behind a street sweeper for a mile, and also made it home without issue. Except her coolant tank emptying soon after I parked.
On the TV I have a winter “Slingscape” playing with a very idyllic snowy village as the backdrop. The music is peaceful, calming, and now that I’m home and not in the mad hatter shithouse that is work, I feel a bit more clear headed. Not before a massive meltdown, though. Sometimes tears really do cleanse the inner vision, the third eye.
Why things need to compile during the merriest time of year is beyond me. I’ve said it prior, but it seems like everyone around me is unearthing more stress, more exhaustion, more heartbreak than is justified. Really ever, but particularly now, when togetherness and calm and giving are encouraged. We’re all just surviving.
Isn’t that the essence of life, though? Staying afloat and hoping for a lapse in the swell so we can catch our breaths?
Anyway. Deep shit for a cocktail post. I guess that’s the shit people discuss at the bar, though, and considering I’m your bartender today, any dialogue goes. This Gingerbread House Old Fashioned in cozy and uplifting. Simple and warming. Homemade gingerbread syrup and a touch of orange liqueur spice up the classic recipe, so if you’re a purist you’ll probably have a mini panic at the deviations. For the rest of us, the misfits and experimenters, this drink is certainly worth a save.
Ye Ole Fashioned
The gingerbread syrup makes quite a bit, so don’t worry if you have to make a batch of cocktails for your holiday. This recipe will do the trick. And if not, it’s easily doubled.
Snag a small saucepan and stir together brown sugar, molasses, water, and your spices: cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and a sliver of orange peel about 2 inches long. Simmer for a few minutes to dissolve the granules, then pull from the heat and stir in some vanilla. Leftover syrup keeps well for up to a week in the fridge.
For the cocktail, you need only some basic bar cart essentials. Find your nicest (or at least most loved) rocks glass. Measure in bourbon, syrup, a bit of orange liqueur, and orange bitters. Stir with a spoon, then plop in a large square or round ice cube. The most traditional aesthetic, but if you’re like me and don’t have a good mold, regular ice is swell.
Cap it off with a cinnamon stick and an anise pod, and you’re good as gold.
Hope I see some FMG cocktails on your Christmas tables this year!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Cozy bourbon sips:
Spiced Maple Rosemary Bourbon Fizz
gingerbread house old fashioned
Ingredients
- 2 oz bourbon
- 1 oz orange liqueur
- 1 oz gingerbread syrup (recipe below)
- dash orange bitters
- star anise and cinnamon stick, to garnish
gingerbread syrup
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp round cloves
- 1 orange peel, about 2 inches long
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- In a small saucepot, combine the brown sugar, molasses, 3/4 cup water, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and orange peel. Simmer about 5 minutes until the granules dissolve. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Let cool slightly. Extra syrup will keep in the fridge for up to a week.
- In a rocks glass, stir together the bourbon, orange liqueur, syrup, and bitters. Add a large square or round ice cube (or a regular amount of ice cubes if that's all you got!) Garnish with a cinnamon stick and anise pod, as desired.
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