Chai Spiced Old Fashioned
An old fashioned built with bourbon and a homemade chai syrup of cardamom, clove, cinnamon and ginger, finished with orange peel over a single large ice cube.
Ingredients
- 60 ml bourbon
- 12 ml chai-infused simple syrup
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 dash orange bitters
- 1 large strip of orange peel
- 1 cinnamon stick (to garnish)
- 1 large ice cube
Method
- Add the bourbon, chai syrup, Angostura and orange bitters to a mixing glass filled with ice.
- Stir gently for 25 to 30 seconds until well chilled and properly diluted.
- Place a large ice cube into a chilled rocks glass.
- Strain the cocktail over the ice cube.
- Express the orange peel over the surface, rub it around the rim and drop it in alongside a cinnamon stick garnish.
How to serve
- Glassware
- Rocks glass
- Serve temperature
- Cold
- Garnish
- Orange peel and cinnamon stick
Chai and bourbon share more than you might expect. Both rely on layered warmth, both reward patience, and both seem to bloom in winter. Bringing them together in an old fashioned is one of those small ideas that feels obvious as soon as you taste it. The chai syrup does most of the talking, and the cocktail just stays out of its way.
Building the Chai Syrup
The syrup is the entire personality of this drink, so it is worth making properly. Crush two green cardamom pods, count out four whole cloves, snap a cinnamon stick in half and slice a small thumb of fresh ginger. Simmer them with equal parts sugar and water for ten minutes, then steep off the heat for another fifteen. Strain through a fine sieve, cool, and refrigerate. The syrup keeps for a couple of weeks and tastes better on day two than on day one.
If you are short on time, two strong chai tea bags steeped in warm simple syrup for ten minutes will give you a fast, slightly softer version. It is genuinely good, and worth knowing about when you have guests on the way.
Stir, Don’t Shake
This is an old fashioned, so resist the urge to shake. A long, slow stir over ice draws everything together without bruising the bourbon or aerating the drink. Strain over a single large ice cube, express the orange peel firmly so the citrus oils land on the surface, then drop it in alongside a cinnamon stick.
The chai spiced old fashioned belongs to a small family of winter cocktails built around warming spice, and it sits comfortably alongside the cinnamon and ginger versions on the same menu. A small printed card with three or four of these stirred drinks does quiet, impressive work on a cold evening.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make chai-infused simple syrup?
Simmer 200 g sugar and 200 ml water with two crushed cardamom pods, four cloves, one cinnamon stick and a thumb of fresh ginger for ten minutes, then strain.
Can I use a chai tea bag instead?
Yes. Steep two strong chai tea bags in warm simple syrup for ten minutes for a quick version. The flavour is slightly softer but still works very well.
Which bourbon suits this cocktail?
A bourbon with strong vanilla, caramel and a touch of spice carries the chai beautifully. Avoid heavily peated whiskies, which clash with the warm spice profile.
Related recipes
Cinnamon Old Fashioned
A warming winter take on the old fashioned, built with bourbon, homemade cinnamon syrup and a perfumed strip of orange peel over a single large ice cube.
Ginger Old Fashioned
A bracing winter old fashioned made with bourbon or rye, fresh ginger syrup, Angostura bitters and a piece of candied ginger over a single rock of ice.
Spiced Old Fashioned
A festive old fashioned built on bourbon or rye, cinnamon-spiced sugar syrup and Angostura bitters, stirred over ice with a flamed orange peel.
More like this