A twist on a classic cocktail to mix things up a bit this fall
We’re firm believers in the line, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” This could certainly be said about classic cocktail the Old Fashioned. When mixed up just right, it’s the quintessential drink, a crowd pleaser, and guaranteed to warm you up on a cool night. But every once in a while, we come up with a little spin on a classic that is too hard to pass up — and needs to be shared with others.
Just in time for the cooler breezes of fall, we’re whipping up our new favorite twist on this classic cocktail: the Smoking Orange Old Fashioned. That’s right, break out the Traeger and let some smoke fill the neighborhood as you give this new cocktail a try.
What's a Smoking Orange Old-Fashioned made of?
The core ingredients of a Smoking Orange Old Fashioned are fresh oranges, rye whiskey, and the typical Old Fashioned ingredients, but with a kicker on top: roasted marshmallow. The smokiness of the grilled orange, strong bite of the rye, and sweet gooeyness of the marshmallow bring on a flavor profile like nothing else, guaranteed to immediately take you to one of those nights around the bonfire with your best crew.
You might be asking yourself, “Why rye?” For us, it’s spicy, whereas bourbon is more sweet. We still want the alcohol to stand out in the drink, and we feel the bite of the rye is a perfect complement to the natural sweetness of the other ingredients.
How Do You Smoke an Old Fashioned Without a Smoker?
Charring the orange peel and roasting a marshmallow over your grill will give your Old Fashioned the smoke flavor it requires without the need for a smoker.
How To Make a Smoking Old Fashioned
The Ingredients:
- 1 navel orange, sliced
- 4 dashes Angostura bitters
- 4 maraschino cherries
- 8 oz. rye whiskey
- 4 large marshmallows
The recipe:
First and foremost: Get the grill going and crank it up to medium-high heat. Getting the orange slices charred just right is key to the success of this fall cocktail. If you burn it, you’ll end up with a drink that is TOO smoky. If you don’t char it enough, you’ll just be drinking a normal Old Fashioned. Let’s get it right. Once the grill is heated up, place the orange slices on, and grill for 90 seconds on each side, leaving the perfect char.
In a glass stirring jar, muddle your oranges, maraschino cherries, and bitters to a smooth consistency. Pour in your rye, mix it up, and set to the side.
Here’s our favorite part: the roasted marshmallow. Want to feel like a kid again? We’ve got you covered with the adult version of roasting a marshmallow. Head out to the garage and grab your torch gun. Place a marshmallow on a skewer and light the torch up to create the perfect char.
The next step is to pour the drink over ice, kick the feet up, and enjoy. Now, we could stop there and send you on your way to making a Smoking Orange Old-Fashioned, but that last step has a very important caveat: not just any ice, but one large cube of ice. Why? Simply enough, ice melts, becomes water, and in turn waters down whatever drink is in your glass. In our case, if you used normal ice in this cocktail, it would quickly dilute the perfect blend of smoky sweetness we just created way too fast! Using a large cube makes the melting process much slower, keeping your cocktail intact while you enjoy the fruits of your labor.
This fall, mix up your new favorite Smoking Orange Old Fashioned and slow things down a bit. You’ve earned it.
