This Black Forest Old Fashioned is a luxurious riff on the classic Old Fashioned cocktail. It combines the warmth of bourbon with the sweetness of cherries, the depth of chocolate, and the creaminess of, well, cream. Then, finish the whole thing off with a dusting of chocolate and a fresh cherry.
Making a delicious old fashioned is an art form and takes just the right balance of ingredients to get it right; just check out our How to make a perfect Old Fashioned post or this spiced cranberry old fashioned for another fruity version.
Key Ingredients
- Bourbon: I went with Woodford Reserve Double Oaked because it has pretty heavy chocolate notes, and it was wonderful.
- Frozen Cherries: I think frozen cherries make a better syrup because they are pitted and melt into the water so well.
- Brown Sugar and Vanilla: these are going into our syrup with our strawberries. The brown sugar and vanilla add deeper sweet and caramel notes that mix so well with the bourbon.
- Bitters: for this one, we are using both chocolate and spiced cherry bitters.
- Heavy cream: We make a cherry cold foam with a combination of cream and cherry syrup.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make this drink:
- Step 1: Start by making the syrup by heating the 1 pound of frozen cherries, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1 cup water until the cherries are very soft (about 20 minutes). Then let cool and add 1tsp vanilla.
- Step 2: Add ice to a rocks glass and top with 2 ounces of bourbon, ½ ounce cherry syrup, 3 dashes of chocolate bitters, and 1 dash of spiced cherry bitters. Stir to combine.
- Step 3: Make the cold foam by mixing 1 ounce of cream with ¼ ounce of cherry syrup and lightly beating it until thick.
- Step 4: Pour the cream on top of the mixed drink and dust with chocolate.
Tips for Success:
Suggested Barware: Use a jigger to measure your Bourbon and liqueur accurately. Also, using a cocktail stirrer is beneficial because it fits so well around the ice.
Ice: Use a large ice cube because it melts slower and is less likely to dilute the drink.
Cream consistency: lightly beat the cream so that it is still pourable; if it gets too thick, add a little extra cream to thin it out.
Black Forest Old Fashioned
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
- Category: cocktail
- Method: stirred
- Cuisine: american
Description
This Black Forest Old Fashioned is a luxurious riff on the classic Old Fashioned cocktail. It combines the warmth of bourbon with the sweetness of cherries, the depth of chocolate, and the creaminess of, well, cream.
Ingredients
For the syrup:
- 1lb frozen cherries
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp vanilla
For the drink:
- 2 ounces bourbon
- ½ ounce cherry syrup
- 3 dashes of chocolate bitters
- 1 dash of spiced cherry bitters
- 1 ounce cream
- cocoa powder for dusting
Instructions
- Start by making the syrup by heating the 1 pound of frozen cherries, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1 cup water until the cherries are very soft (about 20 minutes). Then let cool and add 1tsp vanilla.
- Add ice to a rocks glass and top with 2 ounces of bourbon, ½ ounce cherry syrup, 3 dashes of chocolate bitters, and 1 dash of spiced cherry bitters. Stir to combine
- Make the cold foam by mixing 1 ounce of cream with ¼ ounce of cherry syrup and lightly beating it until thick.
- Pour the cream on top of the mixed drink and dust with chocolate.
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