Campfire Ol' Fashioned Recipe
Old Forester / Maple / Bitters / Charred Orange / Smoke
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Frequently paired with
The best thing to pair and share with CAMPFIRE OL' FASHIONED
Ingredients
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Cocktail
Optional / For smoke and presentation
Method
Prep
Chill glass and prepare orange
Place the rocks glass in the freezer for a few minutes or fill it with ice water to chill while you assemble ingredients. Using a sharp peeler or knife, cut a large orange peel (about 2 x 2.5 inches) ensuring a good amount of zest; set aside. Reserve the orange fruit if you want to express extra oils into the drink.
Build the cocktail
Add 0.5 oz pure maple syrup to a mixing glass or small shaker.
Add 2 dashes of Angostura bitters to the maple syrup.
Pour 2 oz Old Forester bourbon into the mixing glass with the syrup and bitters.
Add a large ice cube (or enough ice to fill the mixing glass) and stir the mixture gently for about 20–30 seconds until well chilled and slightly diluted.
Discard the ice/water from the chilled rocks glass and place the large ice cube into the glass.
Strain the stirred cocktail over the large ice cube into the chilled rocks glass.
Charred orange and smoke finish
Char the orange peel
Hold the orange peel skin-side out and using a small culinary torch, briefly flame the outer skin until it darkens and releases a light char (about 2–4 seconds). Alternatively, hold the peel over a gas flame or ember for a similar effect. Do not burn to ash; you want the oils to caramelize and char slightly.
Express oils and garnish
After charring one side, quickly fold the peel with the charred side facing down over the surface of the cocktail and give it a firm squeeze to express the heated oils over the drink. Rub the rim of the glass with the peel and then tuck the peel on a cocktail pick as garnish and rest it on the glass.
Add smoke (optional)
If using wood chips or a cinnamon stick for smoke: place a small heap of chips on a heatproof surface or metal smoking tray. Ignite briefly until glowing/smoldering (or use a torch) and hold the chilled glass or a small cloche over the smoke to capture it, or invert the glass over the smoldering chips for 10–20 seconds to infuse smoke. If you have a smoking gun, blast a small amount of smoke into the glass after pouring and then cap it briefly. Remove the glass from the smoke chamber, add the charred orange garnish, and serve immediately.
Serve
Serve immediately while the charred aroma and smoke are fresh. Sip slowly to appreciate maple sweetness, warm bourbon, bitters, and charred orange smoke.