Enjoy this delicious cranberry Christmas old fashioned cocktail recipe by the fire as you cozy up on Christmas night! Hints of citrus, cinnamon, and ginger help to layer this easy bourbon drink with the good taste of holiday spice.
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These festive, fruity, and spiced holiday bourbon cocktails aren’t overly sweet. Instead, they are rather nicely balanced and evenly layered with fruity seasonal flavors of cranberry and orange.
Together with spIashes of good bourbon and a simple homemade spiced syrup, the classic old fashioned cocktail gets a delicious holiday twist that celebrates the spirit of Christmas.
As you sip, the ice slowly melts into the drink opening up the flavors in the bourbon. It really creates a delicious Christmas cocktail that gets better as it sits.
To infuse this holiday-inspired classic cocktail with layers of Christmas spice, we’ll make a syrup. This will add a festive holiday flavor profile to the drink and the spices will pair nicely with the bourbon.
A handful of simple ingredients like whole cinnamon sticks, orange peel, cloves, and fresh ginger help to infuse a basic simple syrup with cozy spiced flavors.
It’s very easy to prepare and takes just a few minutes to make. Once it’s finished, you can transfer the syrup to a jar, chill, and keep to use to use in this and other festive drinks throughout the holiday season.
Ingredients To Make Spiced Syrup for the Christmas Old Fashioned
- 1/3 cup of Water
- 1/3 cup of Sugar
- 2 Cinnamon sticks – whole
- 3 chunks sliced Ginger – from a piece of fresh ginger
- 5 whole Cloves – whole spice
- 3 strips Orange peel – freshly sliced
Make the Spiced Syrup for your Christmas Cocktail
Yes, you can make this simple syrup in advance and yes, you’ll have some leftover to make extra cocktails as needed!
If making drinks for a crowd, this recipe can also be easily doubled or tripled if you think you’ll need more.
Make the Christmas Old Fashioned Cocktail Recipe
Use A Tasty Good Quality Bourbon For your Christmas Old Fashioned Cocktail
Since this festive Christmas bourbon cocktail takes a hefty amount of bourbon (which is traditional in a basic old fashioned cocktail), you’ll want to use a reliable good quality bourbon that has a nice smooth taste.
You’ll be able to craft a festive and elegant Christmas cocktail that will please your holiday guests as they toast to celebrate the season.
Decorate With Cranberries, Oranges, or Rosemary
To decorate the drink, you can simply skewer a few frozen cranberries on a cocktail pick. Alternatively, you could top with sliced orange wheels, or a sprig of rosemary.
As the cocktail sits, the ice will open up the bourbon whiskey. The dashes of cranberry and spice bring on that cozy holiday flavor.
Slip on your favorite Christmas sweater and serve up these simple holiday cocktails for all your festive friends! Don’t forget to light the fire and play a few carols in the background.
On festive occasions such as this, I like to mix these up to the sounds of Bing Crosby and Peggy lee: Little Jack Frost, Get Lost! On cold and snowy December nights, these will make your Friday evenings so festive and fun!
If you’re looking for a simple and seasonal Christmas old fashioned cocktail, this easy holiday drink will be a go-to bourbon lovers libation that always delivers a little cheer, a little spice, and something nice. If you like pairing crisp apples with your bourbon, then keep the bottle handy for this easy ginger beer apple cider bourbon cocktail and this apple whiskey country Christmas smash!
Spiced Fireside Christmas Old Fashioned Cocktail Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Spiced Holiday Syrup
- ⅓ cup Water
- ⅓ cup Sugar
- 2 whole Cinnamon Sticks
- 3 pieces Fresh Ginger - fresh ginger
- 5 whole Cloves
- 3 strips Orange Peel
For the Christmas Old Fashioned Cocktail
- 2 oz Bourbon - your favorite good quality bourbon
- 2 tsp Homemade Spice Syrup - or more to taste as desired
- 2 tsp Cranberry Juice
- 3 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 cup Fresh Ice Cubes - or a large cube of cocktail ice
- Orange Wheels - sliced for garnish, optional
- Fresh or Frozen Cranberries - skewered on a pick for garnish, optional
- Fresh rosemary - for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Make the Syrup: Add the cinnamon sticks, orange peel, sliced ginger, and cloves to a small sauce pan and cover with the sugar and water. Set the saucepan over a flame and stir the contents until the sugar is melted into the water.Bring the mixture to a light simmer and cover. Continue to cook the spiced syrup (covered to prevent evaporation) on a light simmer for another 5 minutes.When 5 minutes of simmer time is up, turn the heat off and let the syrup steep an additional 5 minutes, still covered. Lastly, strain into a mason jar, let cool, then cover with a screw top lid
- Make the Christmas Old Fashioned Cocktail:In a rocks glass, pour in the 2 teaspoons of spiced syrup, 2 teaspoons cranberry cocktail juice, and 3 dashes of angostura bitters.Next, using a jigger to measure your spirit, pour in 2 ounces of your favorite good quality bourbon. Add the cup of fresh ice cubes (or if desired, one large ice cube/cocktail ice) to your rocks glass and use a bar spoon to stir the cocktail gently until all of the flavors are combined.
- Garnish with a skewer of frozen cranberries, orange slices, or a sprig of rosemary. Serve very cold. Serve immediately.
