Vanilla Old Fashioned Recipe

Prepare and infuse

Split each vanilla bean lengthwise with a sharp knife to expose the seeds. Place the split beans into an empty 750 ml bottle of Bulleit Bourbon or into a clean jar. Pour the bourbon over the beans, seal tightly, and store at room temperature, away from direct sunlight.

Let the mixture infuse for at least 5 days, gently shaking the bottle once a day. For a stronger vanilla note, infuse 10–14 days. Taste after day 5 and stop when the desired vanilla intensity is reached.

When infusion is complete, leave the beans in the bottle for continued slow development, or remove them with a clean spoon and strain the bourbon through a fine mesh or coffee filter into a clean bottle. Label and refrigerate or store at room temperature; shelf-stable like regular bourbon.

Chill glass and prepare ice

Place an Old Fashioned glass in the freezer for a few minutes or fill it with ice water while you prepare the cocktail. Use one large clear ice cube or several large cubes for minimal dilution.

Build the cocktail

Add 7.5 ml (1/4 oz) simple syrup to a mixing glass or directly into your chilled Old Fashioned glass. Add 2 dashes Angostura bitters and 1 dash orange bitters if using. Pour 60 ml (2 oz) vanilla-infused bourbon over the syrup and bitters.

Stir and strain

If built in a mixing glass, add ice and stir gently for 20–30 seconds until the mixture is well chilled and slightly diluted. Strain into the chilled Old Fashioned glass over the large ice cube. If built in the serving glass, add the ice and stir lightly to combine and chill.

Garnish and finish

Express the oils of an orange peel over the surface by holding it skin-side down and pinching so the oils spray over the drink. Rub the peel around the rim of the glass and drop it into the cocktail as garnish. Serve immediately.