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This Spiced Honey Bourbon Old Fashioned is the perfect cozy cocktail for November and December nights. Homemade spiced rosemary and honey simple syrup, mixed with warming bourbon, lemon, and orange. Perfect for cold nights and easy to create. Simply mix everything together for a cocktail that’s perfectly sweetened, spiced, and so delicious! Tip? Make a large batch to serve to family and friends over the holidays.
And the official countdown is on. We have just about a week and a half left from now until Thanksgiving, and surprise, I am excited! Not only am I looking forward to a good meal, but also a little downtime. It’s been hard to keep up with everything the last few months, but with the holidays here, it’s time to slow down a little and enjoy the magic of the season…
Will I listen and take my own advice? Probably not, BUT, I do have the perfect cocktail to slow down and cozy up with. And you know?
It’s one of my favorites yet.
The simple details.
This one is different because for once, I’m focusing more on spices and citrus and much less on the fruit. I’m a fruity cocktail kind of person, but I’m switching things up. The key to this drink lies within the spiced honey syrup. It’s a mix of sweet honey and warming spices, cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger. All simmered together with woodsy rosemary and then finished off with two extra special touches…fresh orange zest and a splash of sweet vanilla.
When shaken up with bourbon, lemon, and a squeeze of fresh orange juice, it’s sweet, spicy, and delicious
Simple to mix up, but oh so GOOD.
As I mentioned, you can also make this into more of a punch for serving guests. If doing so, I would probably recommend doubling the recipe, depending on how many people you plan to serve…or if you just know your guests will be back for seconds.
With our family, my guess is that many will be back for seconds. My sister-in-law, whom I just sent the recipe to, said “this might be my fave drink of yours”. She’s a tough critic, so that should tell you something about this drink, it’s a good one!
If you wanted to make this drink sparkle even more, I’d add some candied rosemary. It’s so simple to make. Just grab some fresh rosemary sprigs, dampen them with water, and cover in granulated sugar. Let the rosemary dry for an hour at room temperature. Now you have pretty, glistening, rosemary that’s the perfect final touch.
And that’s pretty much it. It’s a classic, but with a seasonal twist that makes it even better. This one is perfect for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Enjoy guys!!
Looking for other easy bourbon cocktails?? Here are my favorites:
Lastly, if you make this Spiced Honey Bourbon Old Fashioned, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Spiced Honey Bourbon Old Fashioned
Servings: 1 drink
Calories Per Serving: 1616 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Spiced Honey Syrup
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus more for serving
- 2 cinnamon sticks (or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
- 1 tablespoon cardamom pods (or 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom)
- 1 inch fresh ginger, sliced
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Old Fashioned
- 2 ounces (1/4 cup) bourbon
- 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) lemon juice
- 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) orange or clementine juice
- 1-2 dashes orange bitters
- 1-2 ounces (2-4 tablespoons) spiced honey syrup
Instructions
- 1. To make the spiced honey syrup. In a medium pot, bring 1/2 cup water, the honey, rosemary, cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger to a boil over high heat. Boil 2-3 minutes, then remove from the heat. Stir in the orange zest and vanilla. Let cool. This syrup makes enough for about 6 drinks.2. In a cocktail shaker, combine 2-3 tablespoons honey syrup, the bourbon, lemon juice, orange juice, and orange bitters. Add ice and shake. Strain into a glass. Garnish with an orange slice and rosemary, if desired.
Spiced Honey Bourbon Old Fashioned Pitcher
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 437 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus more for serving
- 2 cinnamon sticks (or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
- 1 tablespoon cardamom pods (or 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom)
- 1 inch fresh ginger, sliced
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 ounces (1 cup) bourbon
- 4 ounce (1/2 cup) lemon juice
- 4 ounce (1/2 cup clementine or orange juice
- 3-4 dashes orange bitters
- 3-4 ounces (1/4 - 1/2 cup) spiced honey syrup
- 1 blood orange or regular orange, sliced or regular orange, sliced
Instructions
- 1. To make the spiced honey syrup. In a medium pot, bring 1/2 cup water, the honey, rosemary, cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger to a boil over high heat. Boil 2-3 minutes, then remove from the heat. Stir in the orange zest and vanilla. Let cool. Remove the rosemary, cinnamon, cardamom pods, and ginger. This syrup makes enough for about 6 drinks.2. In a punch bowl, combine the honey syrup, the bourbon, lemon juice, orange juice, and orange bitters. Stir to combine, chill until ready to serve. Serve over ice. Garnish with an orange slice and rosemary, if desired.
Made this tonight and it was a hit! Thank you
Thank you Sally! xTieghan
This drink is super yummy! We rimmed our glasses with leftover chai spiced sugar from the your chai pumpkin latte cupcakes!
Love that!! I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Jill! Thank you! xTieghan
This recipe looks so good! How far in advance can this be made?
Hey Melissa,
You can make the honey a few days in advance but I would make the cocktail and serve immediately. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This was delicious! We enjoyed this by the fire pit –perfect after a long week teaching!
I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Rebecca! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Do you really use the anise star? Or is that just for show here in the pic? They’re so strong? Just don’t want to ruin the drink?
Hey Bernadette,
I just used the star anise as garnish! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This looks so good! Do you think that I could make the syrup a day or two ahead of time, then mix when we’re ready to drink? I’m trying to prep ahead of time.
Hey Denise,
Yes that would be totally fine to do, just store it in the fridge. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This is amazing! I must ask, where are these glasses from?
Hey Jaime,
So sorry these glasses are old, I do not have a link for them. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Question: Why is star anise shown but not in the recipe?
Hey Susan,
The star anise is not needed in the recipe, I just like to use it as garnish. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Also… someone asked why their final result was so thick… I’m thinking it is because they forgot to add the water? Water is not listed in the ingredients, but in the instructions. I almost forgot it as well.
Tieghan, I LOVE Halfbaked Harvest … so many recipes, beautifully made, so much depth of flavor, and art on a plate. Thank you!
Being new to Bourbon, it was a delight to find this recipe, and it is YUMMY! I doubled the spiced honey with 1 cup honey, 1 cup water — I didn’t double the spices but just used rounded up amounts. I used Saigon cinnamon (a bit ‘spicier’. And added another minute to the boil process.
I will warn y’all … Do NOT walk away from the process of boiling the honey syrup…:)
I am so happy this recipe turned out so well for you, Patricia! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
This was SO good! I made them tonight and my husband drank his fast and said, “I could use another.” We are big bourbon fans. We usually drink it straight up, but sometimes mixing it is just what the doctor ordered. 🙂 When I made the syrup, I used whole spices and it was amazing. I think the extra would be good in a cup of tea or hot toddy. The syrup smelled so good while it was steeping, that I drained it when it cooled, added water back to the spices and let it simmer on the stove. It smelled so good – bonus!
Haha yes! I am so happy this recipe turned out so well for you both! Thank you for trying this one, Emily! xTieghan
Made this for my husband and I and this is delicious! Don’t listen to the naysayers who give lower stars just because it’s not a classic old fashioned. This drink says bring on the holidays, will have to make it again for Thanksgiving and during the winter season. Love the spices, honey, and orange flavors.
Well I am really happy you and your husband loved this one, Mattie! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
How long will the syrup keep if I don’t use it all at one? Should I refrigerate it? Thanks!
Can you store the spiced honey, say if you made a larger batch but didn’t use it all.
Which drink would you say is the least sweet? This one or your cinnamon bourbon drink with brûlée’d oranges? Thank you!