Bourbon and apple cider can make several drinks. This one is an Apple Cider Old Fashioned: 2 ounces bourbon, 2 ounces spiced cider, brown sugar, orange bitters, water and orange peel, stirred over ice. It makes one drink.
It sits halfway between a classic old fashioned and a glass of mulled cider. The bourbon is still the backbone, but the cider softens it and pulls in apple and baking spice, so people who find a straight old fashioned too strong often like this one better.
At a Glance
| Glass | Old fashioned (rocks) glass |
| Ice | Ice to stir, then serve over ice |
| Method | Muddle, then stir |
| Flavor | Bourbon warmth, spiced apple, orange, brown sugar |
| Strength | Softer than a classic old fashioned, since cider matches the bourbon |
| Makes | 1 cocktail |
| Time | About 5 minutes |
| Make ahead | Build each glass to order |
| Best for | Fall evenings, Thanksgiving, bonfires, a slow drink after dinner |
Ingredients
- 1 orange-peel slice
- 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
- 2 to 4 dashes orange bitters
- 1 bar spoon water, about 1 teaspoon
- 2 ounces spiced apple cider
- 2 ounces bourbon
- Ice
How to Make an Apple Cider Old Fashioned
- Put the orange peel and brown sugar in a mixing glass or old fashioned glass. Add the bitters and bar spoon of water.
- Muddle until the sugar softens.
- Add the cider, bourbon and ice.
- Stir for about 15 seconds. If you mixed the drink in a separate glass, strain it into an old fashioned glass over fresh ice.
Why It Works
Every ingredient here has a job, and none of them is decoration.
- Bourbon brings the vanilla, caramel and oak notes that make an old fashioned taste like an old fashioned. A mid-priced bottle you already like to sip is the right pick. Nothing fancy is needed, because the cider and sugar will round off the edges.
- Spiced apple cider is the twist. It adds apple, cinnamon and clove, and it lengthens the drink so it reads lighter than the classic. Use cider, the cloudy unfiltered kind, not clear apple juice. Juice tastes thin and sweet next to bourbon.
- Dark brown sugar has more molasses than white sugar, which plays well with both the bourbon and the spice. The splash of water helps it melt instead of sitting in a gritty pile at the bottom.
- Orange bitters tie the orange peel to the rest of the drink and keep the sugar and cider from tasting flat. Start with 2 dashes and move toward 4 if your cider is very sweet.
- Orange peel gives oil, not juice. Muddling it with the sugar pulls that oil into the base, so you smell orange before you taste anything.
Step Tips
Muddle gently. You only need the sugar to soften and the peel to release some oil. Grinding the peel hard pulls bitterness from the white pith.
Stir, don’t shake. This is an all-spirit-and-cider drink with no citrus juice or egg. Stirring keeps it clear and silky. Shaking clouds it and adds froth that doesn’t belong here.
Taste your cider first. Store-bought spiced ciders vary a lot. Some are heavily sweetened already. If yours is, use the lower end of the bitters range and let the drink tell you whether it needs more.
Use good ice. Stirring with ice both chills and dilutes the drink, which is part of the recipe. Then serve over fresh ice so the glass doesn’t fill with half-melted shards.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Why it happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Gritty sugar at the bottom | Sugar didn’t dissolve before the liquids went in | Muddle with the water until the sugar softens, as in step 2, before adding cider and bourbon |
| Too sweet | Sweetened cider plus brown sugar | Use a less sweet cider, or reach for the full 4 dashes of bitters |
| Tastes bitter or harsh | Peel was crushed too hard, pith and all | Muddle lightly and trim thick white pith off the peel |
| Watery | Small, wet ice melted too fast | Use large, dry cubes and serve over fresh ice |
| Flat, no aroma | Peel never released its oil | Twist the peel over the glass before you drop it in |
| Cloudy and foamy | Drink was shaken | Stir it in a mixing glass instead |
Swaps and Variations
These change the flavor without changing the recipe’s amounts.
| Swap | What changes |
|---|---|
| Rye whiskey for bourbon | Drier and spicier, less caramel |
| Maple syrup for brown sugar | Rounder and woodsy, and it dissolves without muddling |
| Angostura bitters for orange bitters | More clove and cinnamon, less citrus |
| Plain cider for spiced cider | Fresher apple flavor; add a cinnamon stick as a garnish if you miss the spice |
| Apple brandy for part of the bourbon | Doubles down on apple |
| Cinnamon stick or star anise garnish | Adds aroma as you sip |
| Apple slice garnish next to the orange | Makes the apple obvious at a glance |
If you like the maple direction, the maple bourbon old fashioned with black walnut bitters goes further down that road.
Glass, Ice and Garnish
Serve it in a short, heavy old fashioned glass. The weight feels right in the hand, and the wide mouth puts the orange aroma right under your nose.
For ice, one large cube or a few big ones work best. They melt slowly, so the last sip tastes close to the first. Crushed ice turns this drink into diluted cider within minutes.
The orange peel is the garnish. You can add a thin apple slice or a cinnamon stick for looks, but keep it to one or two things. A crowded rim gets in the way of drinking.
Making More Than One
This recipe makes one drink, and it is best built glass by glass. Measure the sugar, bitters and water into each glass, muddle, then add cider and bourbon and stir. For a crowd, set out the cider, bourbon, sugar and bitters on a tray and make two or three at a time. Guests can watch, which is half the fun.
If you’d rather put out a self-serve drink, a warm pot works better than pre-mixed old fashioneds. See the hot apple cider bar for fall parties for that setup.
Is Bourbon Good with Apple Cider?
Yes. Equal measures of bourbon and spiced apple cider make a short, stirred Apple Cider Old Fashioned. Brown sugar and orange bitters round it out.
What to Serve with It
Bourbon and apple both love salt, fat and anything roasted. Lean into those.
| Food | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Sharp aged cheddar | Salty, crumbly cheese is the classic partner for apple, and it stands up to bourbon |
| Smoked gouda | Its smoke echoes the oak in the bourbon |
| Roast pork or pork chops | Pork and apple are an old pairing, and the drink acts like a sauce on the side |
| Candied or spiced pecans | Brown sugar and toasted nuts mirror the drink |
| Prosciutto-wrapped apple slices | Salty and sweet in one bite |
| Apple pie or apple crisp | Fruit and spice match the cider without feeling repetitive |
| Dark chocolate | Bitterness meets the bourbon’s sweetness |
When to Serve It
This is a fall and early winter drink. It fits a Thanksgiving pre-dinner hour, a bonfire, a football Sunday, or a quiet night with a book. Spiced cider is easiest to find from September through the holidays, which is also when the drink makes the most sense.
For a wider seasonal menu, browse autumn cocktails for cold nights and choose a separate complete recipe for each drink.
For an apple-focused fall table, see the apple cider pairing board . If you are choosing several drinks for a gathering, the cocktail-party menu offers more hosting ideas.
Common Questions
What’s the difference between this and a regular old fashioned?
A classic old fashioned is whiskey, sugar, bitters and an orange peel. This version adds spiced apple cider in an equal measure to the bourbon, which makes it longer, softer and more autumnal.
Can I use hard cider?
You can, but it changes the drink. Hard cider is usually drier and fizzy, so you lose some of the spice and gain bubbles. Stir it gently. The recipe here is written for nonalcoholic spiced apple cider.
Should the cider be warm or cold?
Cold. The drink is stirred over ice, and warm cider melts the ice fast and waters it down. If you want a hot bourbon and cider drink, try one of the spiked apple cider drinks for fall made for serving warm.
Can I use apple juice instead of cider?
It works in a pinch, but the drink will taste sweeter and thinner. Unfiltered cider has more body and a tart edge that balances the bourbon.
What bourbon should I use?
Any bourbon you’d happily sip on its own. A softer, wheated bourbon makes a gentler drink, and a high-rye bourbon gives more spice. Both work.
Can I make it without bitters?
You can, but it will taste sweeter and less finished. Bitters do for a cocktail what salt does for soup. If you only have Angostura, use that.
More apple and bourbon drinks: the apple cider mule with ginger syrup and the spiced old fashioned for Christmas .
