Orchard Cider Old Fashioned Recipe

Combine and heat

In a small saucepan, combine 0.75 cups honey, 0.75 cups light lager beer, and 0.25 cups water. Warm over low heat, stirring frequently, until the honey fully dissolves into the beer. Do not boil — heat just until combined and slightly reduced, about 4–6 minutes.

Optional brighten

Remove from heat and stir in 0.5 teaspoon fresh lemon juice if you prefer a slightly brighter syrup. Let the syrup cool to room temperature.

Strain and store

If foam or particles are present, strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve or coffee filter into a clean jar. Refrigerate. Syrup will keep for up to 2 weeks chilled. Use 0.5 oz per cocktail.

Chill glass and prepare ice

If desired, chill an Old Fashioned/rocks glass in the freezer for a few minutes. Prepare a large clear ice cube or enough ice to nearly fill the glass.

Build and stir

In a mixing glass or shaker (no ice if you want only slight dilution), add 2 oz Crown Royal Peach & Apple whiskey, 0.5 oz honey-lager simple syrup, 3 dashes Angostura bitters, and 0.25 oz Fireball. Fill the mixing glass with ice and stir for 20–30 seconds until well chilled and slightly diluted (about 15–20% dilution).

Transfer

Strain the mixture over the large ice cube in the chilled Old Fashioned glass.

Add sour soda

Gently add 1 oz sour soda to the top of the drink as a light bubbly note. Stir once gently (1–2 rotations) to incorporate without losing too much carbonation.

Express and garnish

Hold the orange peel over the drink and quickly give it a firm twist to express the oils across the surface, then rub the peel rim on the glass and drop it in. Add a thin apple slice and one maraschino or brandied cherry on a pick. Optionally, float a very light dusting of grated cinnamon or a tiny cinnamon stick for aroma.

Serve

Serve immediately. The drink is balanced to be slightly sweet, fruity from the whiskey, with cinnamon warmth from the Fireball and a faint sour effervescence from the sour soda.