Vanilla Old Fashioned Cocktail
A hint of vanilla in a classic makes this Vanilla Old Fashioned Cocktail a spectacular addition to your cocktail repertoire!
This time of year is filled with so much reminiscing about our families and one that never escapes me was seeing my dad drinking an Old Fashioned on Thanksgiving Day. This Vanilla Old Fashioned Cocktail is more my style but does bring back a fond memory. I used to beg for his Maraschino cherry!
He switched up his summer drinks of choice (either gin & tonic or beer) just in time for having a cocktail at dinner with the big meal of the year and that habit continued through the holiday festivities.
He and my mother both liked simple cocktails; they might completely eschew some of the drinks I make today. They liked Martinis, Manhattan’s and Old Fashioned cocktails…and of course, beer. This Vanilla Old Fashioned Cocktail might fit their profile of acceptable choices and I would like to believe they would enjoy it.
The first use of the name “Old Fashioned” for a Bourbon whiskey cocktail was said to have been at the Pendennis Club, a gentleman’s club founded in 1881 in Louisville, Kentucky.
The recipe for the Vanilla Old Fashioned Cocktail was said to have been invented by a bartender at that club in honor of Colonel James E. Pepper, a prominent bourbon distiller, who brought it to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel bar in New York City.
Common garnishes for an Old Fashioned include an orange slice and/or a maraschino cherry, although these modifications came around 1930, some time after the original recipe was invented.
While recipes began making sparse use of the orange zest for flavor, the practice of muddling orange and other fruit gained prevalence as late as the 1990s.
I prefer to not muddle the fruit but do love adding enough orange from bitters, some of the orange oil and the final citrus garnish to make its presence known.
I’ve worked before with the folks at Crown Royal; sharing this Blueberry Coffee Cake that I made with their Crown Royal Maple Whiskey.
It was a true winner so I was excited to be asked to ‘fiddle’ a bit with their new Crown Royal Vanilla, described by the company as “a blend of hand-selected Crown Royal whiskies infused with the rich flavor of Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla.”
If you like Canadian whisky and love vanilla, well, I know you’ll love Crown Royal Vanilla, it’s a “best of both worlds” experience.
Not meant to be a sipping whiskey, its best used as a mixer and some easy suggestions from Crown Royal include mixing it with ginger beer, cola and even Dr. Pepper.
I wanted something a bit more sophisticated than that if I’m going to share it here but I have to admit the ginger beer idea is still calling my name! The addition of the vanilla notes to this Vanilla Old Fashioned Cocktail with whiskey, sugar and orange was most enjoyable.
If you are not inclined to buy a bottle of whiskey to try this cocktail; use a good whiskey or bourbon and add a splash of vanilla extract; just a tiny bit will suffice to infuse that vanilla aroma.
My third cocktail in the series ‘All Cocktails All the Time’ (well this week at least!) might not exactly be a ‘holiday’ cocktail but it has that connotation for me. For my friends that would prefer a cocktail on the rocks versus one laden with fruit and simple syrup, this is a good addition to the library of available options for them; I know I sure loved it!
Try one; it’s really not old-fashioned to love an Old Fashioned!
More Favorite Bourbon Cocktails
- Blackberry Bourbon Collins Cocktail
- Bourbon Orange Brûlée Cocktail
- Bourbon> and Fig Jam Cocktail
- Bourbon and Apple Cider Cocktail
- Kentucky Peach Vodka Cocktail
- Bourbon Cherry Old Fashioned Cocktail
- Bourbon Peach Smash Cocktail
- George Dickel Bourbon and Lemonade Cocktail
PIN IT! ‘Vanilla Old-Fashioned Cocktail’
Vanilla Old Fashioned Cocktail
Ingredients
- ¼ ounce simple syrup
- 3 dashes Angostura Bitters
- 3 dashes Orange Bitters
- 1 orange peel twist
- 1 ½ ounces Crown Royal Vanilla or any good whiskey; add a drop of vanilla extract if not using the Crown Royal Vanilla
Instructions
- In old-fashioned glass, combine simple syrup and bitters. Fill glass halfway with ice, then stir.
- Add enough ice to fill glass. Squeeze orange peel over glass to extract oils, add peel to glass, and add whiskey. Stir just until drink is cold and serve.
I love this Vanilla Old Fashioned Cocktail recipe, but especially like the photo and in particular the coaster. It appears to be stainless or perhaps sterling and I would love to add these to my collection. Any idea where I can find a set?
I have so many sets of coasters that often I don’t remember but these I did, this was a set of silver from Pottery Barn, each coaster was a little bit different than the other. They carried them for a couple of years but I checked and they don’t seem to have them anymore, but I saw these and I love them. I mean love them enough that you have just cost me some money! 😁
https://www.potterybarn.com/products/fillmore-coasters/