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Cozying up with this Vanilla Chai Old Fashioned. Homemade spiced chai simple syrup, mixed with warming bourbon, winter citrus, a touch of vanilla, and fizzy sparkling water. This old fashioned makes for the most perfect cozy fall and winter cocktail that everyone will love. Make the syrup ahead of time and keep in the fridge to mix up a quick drink in a moment’s notice. This will be your go-to this Thanksgiving.
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Ingredients
- Chai tea bags
- Real maple syrup
- Vanilla extract
- Bourbon
- Lemon juice
- Orange bitters
- Chai tea syrup
- Sparkling water
- Cinnamon and star anise
Kitchen Supplies
- Medium pot
- Cocktail shaker
- Rocks glass (cocktail)
- Large pitcher
Welcome to the Saturday before Thanksgiving. For those of you who are cooking this year, I hope you’re spending the weekend prepping and getting organized. Which will make your Thanksgiving Day much more stress free. You’d think that’s what I would be doing, but instead I am spending the weekend working away and following none of my own advice. Typical.
Unfortunately, I am a bit crunched for time this year, so I’ll have to worry about Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving. The good news is that I did remember to order my turkeys…did you?
The other good news is that I have my menu set. And since I’ve already tested it many times over for the blog, I’m not too stressed. Actually, I’m very much looking forward to cooking all day on Thanksgiving. There will be no worrying about testing new recipes or taking photos. Hoping to bake a few pies with my mom, mix up cocktails for brothers, and just hang with my family. It’s been non-stop lately, so I’m really looking forward to a day with family and friends.
As mentioned, all of my brothers will be here this Thanksgiving and four out of five of them love chai and love bourbon. So, I wanted to create a cocktail that would incorporate the two. I’m such a people pleaser, and I oddly just really love making cocktails for my brothers.
Enter this vanilla chai old fashioned.
It’s truly one of the coziest cocktails, and it’s so good. Not too sweet, not too heavy on the bourbon, but just right and truly great for the Thanksgiving holiday.
The details.
Start with the chai simple syrup. I first made this last year when I created this chai white Russian, which is another favorite holiday cocktail of mine. I quickly became obsessed with using the syrup in fun cocktails. It’s all the flavor you love from chai tea, sweetened maple, and spiked with hints of vanilla. Delicious.
The syrup is the heart of the cocktail, and where a lot of the flavor comes from. In order to make this a true old fashioned, I added in high quality bourbon and a touch of citrus.
The flavors go so well, and like I said, it’s the perfect warming drink for cold nights. I highly suggest making a batch of the chai syrup this weekend. Then when friends and family randomly show up at your door you can just mix up cocktails. Which for me is very often.
Nothing is more welcoming than a cozy cocktail. Well maybe a roaring fire, but that can sometimes be hard to come by. That said, if you can mix up this old fashioned, and stoke up a fire…ideal.
If not, the cocktail, a candle, and good blanket will do!
If you make this chai 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 also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Vanilla Chai Old Fashioned
Ingredients
Chai Simple Syrup
- 4 chai tea bags
- 1/3 cup real maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chai Old Fashioned
- 2 ounces (1/4 cup) bourbon
- 1 ounce lemon juice
- 1 dash orange bitters
- 1-2 ounces (2-4 tablespoons) chai tea syrup
- sparkling water, for topping
- cinnamon and star anise, for serving , (optional)
Instructions
CHAI SIMPLE SYRUP
- 1. In a medium pot, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the chai tea bags, cover and steep 10-15 minutes. Remove the tea bags and add the maple. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 3-5 minutes, then remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla. Let cool. Keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
OLD FASHIONED
- 1. In a cocktail shaker, combine the bourbon, lemon juice, orange bitters, and 2 tablespoons of the chai syrup. Shake to combine.
2. Strain into a glass. If desired top with sparkling water. Garnish with cinnamon and star anise.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
We LOVED the syrup, but weren’t crazy about the lemon juice in the final assembly. Our favorite combo was to use a squeeze of orange instead, and omit the sparkling water. Perfect holiday drink!
Hey there,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Hey Tieghan! Wondering if you think I could use Orange Juice instead of Lemon? Lemon just sounds a bit too “bright” for an Old Fashioned and Orange is just so wonderful around the holidays. Thanks!
Hey Nicholas,
Yes, that would work well! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Hi tieghan,
I dont know what are orange bitters. Can we skip it?
Can we replace Bourbon by Whisky?
Hey Chamila,
Yes, you can skip the orange bitters, and whiskey will also work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Making this was so much fun! My boyfriend absolute loved this. I followed instructions to a tee but used an espresso vanilla in the chai syrup which I now know I need to keep a batch on hand at all times. Between my boyfriend and myself, we used it all up tonite. This is a great drink.
Hey Erin,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I would like to make a big batch of this. For 6 drinks, would you 6x everything- even the simple syrup? Can it be made pitcher-style? ?
Where are these beautiful glasses from?
Where are these beautiful glasses from?
Hey Kristy,
Here is the link for the glasses: https://rstyle.me/+7RK4v39F9RqwbYmAZm0RCw
I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Really need to check the tartness of the lemon and adjust the syrup accordingly or leave out all together. Smells amazing and will make again.
Thank you so much Evonne! xTieghan
Fab. I’m a bourbon fan. Preferred 2 tbsp of the chai syrup. Of course I tried with one last night! Will make again.
Thank you so much Tamara! xTieghan
After adding the maple, I also accidentally added the vanilla and boiled it all for those last 4-5 minutes. Will this syrup taste bad/different since I boiled the vanilla compared to if had added the vanilla after boiling?
Hey Kelly,
The syrup should be okay:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
great info!
Thanks! xTieghan
good post.
Thanks! xtieghan
awesome
Thank you! xTieghan
The spirit of Thanksgiving is one of family, friends, love, inclusiveness, being grateful and, last but not least, fabulous food. The holiday is a favorite for so many people because it isn’t focused on presents or extravagant decorations – it’s about sitting down for a delicious meal, surrounded by friends and family.
Thank you! xTieghan
Wish you a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving! Wishing you the gift of faith and the blessing of hope this thanksgiving day! We gather on this day to be thankful for what we have, for the family we love, the friends we cherish, and for the blessings that will come. Happy Thanksgiving! https://proremovalsrochdale.co.uk/
Thank you! xTieghan