Learn how to make the best homemade festive Christmas Old Fashioned recipe!
Our quick & easy Holiday Old Fashioned Cocktail recipe is a favourite to sip at Christmas and New Years Eve parties.
This green and red coloured Christmas Whiskey Old Fashioned Cocktail recipe features premium whiskey, ginger syrup, bitters, cranberries, orange slice and rosemary sprig.
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Travel The World to Taste Whiskey
There’s no better way to familiarize yourself with the best Christmas Old Fashioned recipe then by planning a vacation to visit the world’s best whiskey distilleries.
Some of the world’s most famous whiskey/whisky distilleries can be found in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The booming whiskey trend has also produced a high demand for premium whiskey produced by distilleries in Canada and America.
We’ve visited a handful of whiskey distilleries in Europe as well as a chic whiskey cocktail bar at Multnomah Whiskey Library in Portland and Stranahans in Denver.
In Scotland we enjoyed a scenic road trip to the Isle of Islay, which is best known for its famous Islay Scotch whisky distilleries. If you’re looking to experience the best things to do on the Isle of Islay visit award-winning distilleries like Bruichladdich, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Ardbeg and Bowmore.
We also suggest sipping local Scottish whisky on the Isle of Skye, Glasgow, Edinburgh and The Highlands. One of our favourite things to do in Edinburgh is the The Scotch Whisky Experience.
Fly over to Ireland and you’ll find plenty of fine whiskey produced by famous distilleries like Jamesons and Bushmills. There’s no better way to educate yourself about Irish Whiskey then by taking a tour of Jameson Distillery near Cork and Bushmills along the Causeway Coast. They’re both worth a day trip from Dublin.
Looking to plan the ultimate road trip of Canada to discover the best Canadian whisky?
Our favourite Canadian whiskies include Lot 40 from Ontario, Masterson’s from Alberta, Caribou Crossing from Quebec, Goodridge & Williams from British Columbia and Glenora from Nova Scotia.
Types of Whiskey
The wonderful world of whiskey can be confusing for newbies as there is a lot more variety compared to vodka and gin.
Whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash or by distilling beer. Various grains are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, generally made of charred white oak.
The best way to familiarize yourself with whiskey and find a new favourite is by sipping as many varieties as you can. You’ll find single malt whiskies, blended whiskies, single pot still whiskey and and everything in between.
Our Holiday Old Fashioned recipe features premium whiskey and the flavour profile of the cocktail can be adjusted to suit your tastes based on whichever bottle you chose. Add a Bourbon to your cocktail shaker and you’ll enjoy a sweeter flavour. Or grab a bottle of Islay Scotch to experience peaty undertones.
- Scotch: is made in Scotland with either malt or grain. The spirit must age in an oak barrel for at least three years. Many of the top Scotch bottles are revered for their peaty character. Popular Scotch brands include Johnnie Walker, Ballantine’s and Ardbeg.
- Irish Whiskey: has a smoother flavor than other types of whiskey. It’s made from a mash of malt, can only be distilled using water and caramel coloring, and must be distilled in wooden casks for at least three years. Popular Irish whiskey brands include Jamesons, Bushmills and Green Spot.
- Bourbon: An American-style whiskey, bourbon is made from corn. In fact, to be called bourbon whiskey, the spirit needs to be made from at least 51% corn, aged in a new oak barrel and produced in America. It has no minimum aging period and needs to be bottled at 80 proof or more. Popular Bourbon brands include Ezra Brooks, Wild Turkey and Maker’s Mark.
- Canadian Whisky: must be barrel-aged for at least three years. It’s lighter and smoother than other types of whiskey because it contains a high percentage of corn. You will find that most Canadian whiskies are made from corn and rye, but can also include wheat and barley. Popular Canadian whisky brands include Canadian Club, JP Wiser’s and Wayne Gretzky Estates.
Homemade Christmas Holiday Old Fashioned
Our favourite time of year to shake up this Holiday Old Fashioned is obviously during the festive Christmas and New Years cocktail party season!
This easy Christmas whiskey cocktail tastes like the holidays in a glass. The recipe features several layers of festive flavour: tart cranberries, premium whiskey, spicy ginger syrup, orange zest and herbaceous rosemary.
We’ve shred a few old fashioned cocktails in the past including a Scotch Old Fashioned Cocktail and Irish Old Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail.
The Old Fashioned is a classic whiskey cocktail that was developed during the 19th century and given its name in the 1880s. The drink is typically prepared by muddling sugar with bitters and water, adding whiskey, garnishing with an orange slice and cocktail cherry.
We’ve taken the classic components of the popular whiskey drink and mix and muddled to craft an eye-popping Christmas Old Fashioned recipe.
Best Bartender Tools & Cocktail Equipment
Before hosting a swanky Christmas Old Fashioned cocktail soiree you’ll need to ensure you have the best bartender tools and cocktail equipment.
- Cocktail Kit: cocktail kits are the perfect gift for newbie mixology fans as they include basic bartender tools like a jigger, shaker and spoon.
- Cocktail Shaker: a bartenders best friend. Purchase a premium cocktail shaker to muddle or shake up your favourite pink gin cocktails.
- Cocktail Glassware: make sure your bar is stocked with a selection of unique glassware to show off your favourite cocktail creations.
- Hawthorne Strainer: this unique strainer features tightly wound coils and perforated holes. It keeps ice and other large ingredients like lime wedges in your cocktail shaker rather than in the glass.
- Bar Spoons: slender and long bar spoons are a must-have when stirring drinks.
- Bottle Opener: easily open bottles of beer or cider with the flick of your wrist or purchase a corkscrew for fine wine.
- Pouring Spout: once you’ve opened a new bottle of gin insert these affordable pourers to make cocktail assembly a breeze.
- Cutting Board: purchase a petite cutting board for your bar to slice garnishes or citrus wedges like lime, orange, lemon or grapefruit.
- Ice Bucket: chill bottles of gin quickly in an ice bucket or keep by the bar when muddling gin mixers into cool creations.
- Ice Crusher: fans of the Mint Julep love an ice crusher.
- Ice Cube Kit: we suggest purchasing a selection of ice cube trays. Silicone styles are our favourite as they’re easy to clean and are available in various shapes and sizes.
- Jigger: use a jigger to accurately measure spirits, juices, syrups and shrubs.
- Juicer: invest in an electronic juicer or buy an affordable hand-held to easily juice fresh citrus like lemons and limes.
- Muddler: fans of the Mojito love a sturdy muddler to mix mint and lime. Muddler’s are handy for any cocktail featuring ingredients that need a pounding like fresh herbs or citrus wedges.
- Citrus Peeler & Zester: adorn your craft cocktails with a thick citrus peel or finer ribbons of lime or lemon zest.
- Rimmer: Bloody Mary and Caesar lovers should outfit their bar with a handy rimmer for salting and sugaring glassware.
Holiday Christmas Old Fashioned Cocktail Ingredients
Our easy Christmas Old Fashioned is made with the best fresh ingredients:
- Whiskey: we tested this recipe with Tomatin Scotch, Bushmills Irish Whiskey and Canadian Wayne Gretzky Estates Whiskey.
- Syrup: we suggest using Organic Ginger Syrup by The Ginger People.
- Bitters: we use classic Angostura bitters.
- Cranberries: feel free to use fresh or frozen.
- Orange: cut an orange into thin slices and muddle into the rocks glass before serving. Since Blood Oranges and Clementines are in season during the Christmas holiday season feel free to substitute.
- Rosemary: finish the cocktail with a fresh sprig of rosemary, which we think looks like the branch of a Christmas tree popping out of the glass!
Christmas Old Fashioned Cocktail Recipe Tips
This Holiday Old Fashioned recipe is easy to make at home, ready to serve in 5-10 minutes.
Our Christmas Old Fashioned recipe serves one person. If you’re hosting a large gathering feel free to multiply the ingredients by the number of guests and muddle the drink in a festive punch bowl or jug rather than a cocktail shaker.
Muddle the drink with large pieces of ice or ice spheres to ensure the cocktail does not dilute too quickly.
Feel free to top with a splash of sparkling water to add a few celebratory bubbles.
You May Also Enjoy These Festive Holiday Cocktail Recipes…
- Ginger Whiskey Pear Cocktail
- Gin and Cranberry Juice Cocktail
- Pomegranate Gin Fizz Cocktail
- Irish Whiskey and Apple Juice
- Italian Prosecco and Gin Cocktail
- Raspberry Gin Fizz Chambord Cocktail
- Iced Irish Coffee Cocktail
- Eastside Cocktail
- Malfy Grapefruit Gin & Rosemary Cocktail
- Mint Chocolate After Eight Cocktail
- Perfect Rob Roy Scotch Manhattan
- Brandy Manhattan Cognac Cocktail
- Amaretto Disaronno Sour Cocktail
- Baileys Apple Pie Cocktail
- Baileys Iced Coffee Cocktail
How To Make A FestiveChristmas Holiday Old Fashioned
Christmas Old Fashioned Cocktail
Equipment
- Shot Glass
- Rocks glass
- French knife
Ingredients
- 3 Cranberries
- 2 oz Whiskey
- 1 oz Ginger Syrup
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
- 1 Orange Slice
- 1 Rosemary Sprig
Instructions
- Crush cranberries in a rocks cocktail glass.
- Add whiskey, ginger syrup and bitters.
- Fill glass with ice, garnish with orange slice and rosemary sprig.
Nutrition
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