Aged Old Fashioned Recipe

Combine base liquids

Sanitize your barrel or jar and tools. In a large measuring vessel, combine 750 ml Bulleit bourbon, 120 ml blood orange liqueur, 60 ml simple syrup, and 12 dashes Peychaud's bitters. Stir gently to incorporate.

Fill barrel/jar

Using a funnel, transfer the mixture into the small oak barrel or into the cleaned 1L jar prepared with 3–4 medium-toast oak chips. Leave minimal headspace; seal the barrel or jar tightly.

Age

Store the sealed barrel/jar at room temperature, away from direct sunlight. Rotate or gently roll the barrel once every 2–3 days to expose spirit to fresh oak. Age for 21 days total. If using chips in a jar, check after 10 days and taste every 2–3 days; remove chips when desired oak intensity is reached (target 21 days for this recipe).

Finish and filter

After 21 days, open the barrel/jar. Using a funnel and fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth, decant the aged mixture into a clean bottle. Label and refrigerate or store at room temperature. This is your aged Old Fashioned base.

Prep fruit

Quarter 1 blood orange and reserve one wedge and one peel strip for garnish. In a mixing glass or small rocks glass, add the remaining 3 orange quarters and 3 maraschino cherries (reserve one cherry for garnish).

Muddle

Gently muddle the blood orange segments and 3 cherries just enough to release juice and oils—avoid pulverizing the peel to keep bitterness low.

Add aged base

Add 60 ml (2 oz) of the aged Old Fashioned base to the muddled fruit in the mixing glass. Stir briskly for about 20–30 seconds with ice (or add 1 large ice cube to the rocks glass if building there) to chill and slightly dilute.

Strain & serve

If you muddled in a mixing glass, double-strain into an old-fashioned glass over one large ice cube (or two medium cubes). If you muddled directly in the serving glass, leave the fruit in for visual and flavor interest or use a julep strainer to remove solids if preferred.

Garnish

Express the reserved orange peel over the glass to release oils, rub the peel around the rim, and drop it in. Skewer the reserved maraschino cherry and rest it on the ice. Serve immediately.

To batch cocktails for a party, pre-muddle fruit (blood orange slices and cherries) in a large pitcher, add the aged base at a ratio of 60 ml aged base per cocktail, stir with ice before serving, and serve over fresh ice with garnish per glass.