Vanilla Old Fashioned

A creative twist on this classic cocktail caught my attention. An Old Fashioned, with vanilla bean? Sign me up!

Also, it was an opportunity to purchase Orange Bitters and I love a good excuse to procure new cocktail accoutrements ;-) Boy am I glad we tried this recipe! It was so delicious and very relaxing after a long work week! 

We altered it from the recipe I found on Food & Wine's website  because we found it to be a little overwhelming with bourbon. We upped the simple syrup and added a dash of sprite (ginger ale would also be good)

You will need: 

Vanilla beans - we used 2 whole beans for a few cocktails. One cut into 1" pieces (and split) and the 2nd cut in half to be used as swizzle sticks. 

1" piece of orange zest (per drink)

1/4 oz simple syrup (we upped this to about 2 oz)

2 dashes orange bitters (we upped this to about 4 dashes)

2 oz bourbon 

ice 

orange wheels 

In a rocks glass, muddle the vanilla bean and orange zest with the Simple Syrup and bitters. Add the bourbon and ice, stir and garnish with the orange wheel.

It made a beautiful cocktail, I think. Particularly with the vanilla bean swizzle stick ;-) 

The bourbon added a very sweet, malty and almost maple flavor; the orange flavor added interest and the vanilla bean added a creamy and almost buttery flavor (in my humble opinion). We added a splash of sprite to lighten the bourbon flavor and add some effervescence. 

Would it be bad to confess I had three? No, I didn't think so. 

Notorious R.O.B. rated it: 2 Black Sabbath Devil Horns (Yeah, I didn't get it, either...)