Cocktail Atlas

Smoked Cherry Old Fashioned

A smoky twist on the Old Fashioned with cherry flavors.

Cocktail Atlas · Updated

Spirit
Bourbon
Glass
Rocks glass
Method
Stirred
Difficulty
Intermediate

Riff on: Old Fashioned

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A smoked old fashioned in a rocks glass with an orange peel, smoke spilling from a lifted cloche, resting on a book

Smoked Cherry Old Fashioned

Ingredients

Ingredients for Smoked Cherry Old Fashioned. Tick each one as you add it.
AddedMeasureIngredient
2 oz
½ oz
2 dashes

Steps

  1. Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass.
  2. Garnish with cherries.

Garnish Cherries

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Batch it For a party of 4–20

Makes 8 drinks, about 24 oz · 720 ml before ice.

Smoked Cherry Old Fashioned batch
AmountIngredient
16 oz · 480 mlSmoked Bourbon
4 oz · 120 mlCherry Syrup
16 dashesAngostura Bitters
4 oz · 120 mlCold water, for dilution (approx.)

The water stands in for the melt from stirring: about 20% for a stirred drink. It is an approximation, so taste and adjust. Chill the batch at least 2 hours and pour over fresh ice.

Fits one 750 ml bottle; a funnel helps.

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Why it works

A smoked bourbon adds a campfire note, and cherry syrup brings fruit that pairs naturally with smoke and oak. The bitters keep the sweetness in check and add spice. Stirring chills the drink and adds a little water, which opens up the bourbon. Served over ice in a rocks glass, it changes slowly as it sits.

Substitutions

  • No smoked bourbon? Use regular bourbon and smoke the glass (see Mixology 101).
  • Tart cherry juice with a little sugar can replace cherry syrup.
  • Orange bitters make it brighter.

Variations

Questions

How do you smoke a cocktail at home?
Light a wood chip or rosemary sprig, blow it out and turn the empty glass over it for 30–60 seconds, then build the drink in it.
Can cherry juice be used instead of syrup?
Yes, with a little sugar. Use about ½ oz of sweetened tart cherry juice.

Making it: Smoked Cherry Old Fashioned

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