peach old fashioned
Third peach drink in the past three weeks let’s gooooooooo.
August is prime month for peaches, so I’m not dicking around with sharing as many peach recipes as I can. And I was about due for a bourbon cocktail, because I’m just itching for homey, warming fall drinks, though it’s obviously not justified to fully dive in.
So, a peach old fashioned felt right.
Bourbon is my first liquor love – I familiarized myself with the bourbon cocktail repertoire pretty early on in my adulting adventures. Weirdly, though, I don’t think I’ve shared all that many whiskey or bourbon drinks yet., leastwise not ones in the past couple years when I’d consider FMG a real thing rather than a boredom-induced pandemic project.
Changing that up today. The Peach Old Fashioned is a delightful little drink. We’re making a sweet peach syrup infused with a little cinnamon for a gentle hint of spice, and stirring it up with bourbon, lemon, and bitters. Citrus isn’t really traditional in an old fashioned, but I saw some lemons on my counter and figured why the fuck not.
Kinda like we’re crossing an old fashioned with a whiskey sour. A sour old bastard? I’m cool with that name.
Feelin’ Peachy
You’ll need a little prep time to account for the peach syrup, but only about 10 minutes.
In a small saucepot, add a cut up peach (pit out, but skin is okay), a cinnamon stick, and an equal amount of sugar and water. Bring to a boil and heat for a few minutes, then move the pot off the burner and let te mixture steep for about 10 minutes. Strain, squishing the peaches to release as much juice as possible, into a jar, bowl, or container.
Keep in mind: if you keep the peach skin on like I did, your syrup will take on a ruddier hue, whereas if you peel it you’ll get an orangier hue. Food for thought.
Old Man Fashioned
Now, you’re ready to do some mixing.
You can either shake or stir this cocktail, so if you’re James Bond go with the former, and if you’re lazy (me), the latter. Grab your favorite rocks glass and mix up some of the syrup – you won’t need all of the syrup you made for one drink unless you’re Buddy the Elf – with bourbon, lemon, and a splish of orange bitters.
To chill the drink, the traditional route is to use a single ice sphere. It looks pretty and works to prevent the drink from being too watered down. Use whatever shape ice you have. Dinosaur? Perfect.
For garnishes, some fresh peaches are a great finish since they soak up some of the booze and taste like little alcoholic digestifs once the drink itself is gone. I also love a little mint, especially because my pal Marvin is producing beautiful new leaves and I need to trim them off before he gets overwhelmed with his growth.
Final thought: if you have nectarines around but no peaches, highly recommend you try them. The cocktail won’t be quite as sweet but still maintains its summery stone fruit integrity.
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!
Peach drank:
peach old fashioned
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 large peach, chopped
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 oz bourbon
- 1/2 oz lemon juice
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- peach slices and fresh mint, to serve
Instructions
- In a small saucepot, combine the sliced peaches (skin is okay), the sugar, and 2/3 cup of water. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and steep 10 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a jar or bowl, squeezing as much liquid out of the peaches as possible. Discard the solids.
- In a rocks glass, stir together the bourbon, 1/2 oz of the syrup, lemon juice, and orange bitters. Add a spherical ice cube to the drink to chill. Garnish with fresh peach slices and mint leaves.
