You can’t help but feel a little distinguished when you are drinking an Old Fashioned Cocktail, and this one with mandarin oranges is tops!
I’ve realized lately that my oldest son is more cultured than I am. His elementary school has partnerships with San Francisco Ballet and Opera, so he is getting enrichment classes from professional ballet dancers and opera singers. Yesterday, his class went to see a dress rehearsal of the opera Barber of Seville. He came home raving about the singing, costumes, and set, and I realized that I have only been to the opera once, shortly after we moved to San Francisco. I was too much of a young yokel back then to appreciate it, and we never went back.
Now the closest thing I get to a fancy time is making fancy cocktails like this one at home. If you like bourbon, you will surely enjoy this old-fashioned cocktail. Even if you don’t like bourbon, you will still probably like it because the mandarin orange and cherry flavors sweeten it up to make it smooth and very drinkable. (Make sure you let the ice dilute a bit before taking that first sip though…)
In this version, I used mandarin oranges and a little of the syrup they were packed in as a substitute for the traditional fresh orange slice and sugar. I used oranges packed in 1/2 c. snack cups, so I didn’t have to open a large can and wonder what to do with the rest. (If you have any good recipe or drink ideas that use mandarin oranges, please share them with us in the comments!)
Mandarin Orange Old Fashioned Cocktail
This version of the classic old fashioned cocktail uses mandarin oranges.
- Total Time: 3 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
Ingredients
- 1/4 c. mandarin orange slices packed in light syrup
- 1 tbsp. syrup from oranges
- 2 maraschino cherries or more if you like extras like me
- 2 dashes bitters
- 2 oz. bourbon
Instructions
-
Place two orange slices, orange syrup, one cherry, and the bitters in an 8 oz. cocktail glass. Muddle to crush oranges and cherry.
-
Pour in bourbon, remaining orange slices, and fill the glass 2/3 full with ice. Stir gently to distribute the ice and oranges. Top with a cherry (or three) and serve. Cheers!
- Prep Time: 3
- Category: Cocktail
Final Thoughts
Enjoy a lovely day with a refreshing treat to have on any occasion. I hope this cocktail puts a smile on your face at your next happy hour or cocktail party!
Liz says
made it over the weekend–fun! Like the twist you put on a classic drink. Will post my photo soon. Didn’t change a thing :-)
Andi says
Wow, you didn’t change a thing!? I’m impressed :) It wasn’t all that creative, especially since I looked back at my pineapple old fashioned later and didn’t realize that it’s remarkably similar. Oh well. I can’t always reinvent the wheel, and I’m on vacation!
Liz says
lol, you give your readers way too much credit (or I could be talking about just me) to think we’d remember something you did a while ago.
It’s nice to just follow your recipes, too–especially the drink ones–as sometimes it’s easier to just be told what to do, y’know?
You’ll probably see the bread on deLiz facebook. My mom is a fine cook, but she’s not obsessed with food in the way I am. Am glad if she does most of the work. Though I am also bringing my bottle of Irish whiskey and also one of ginger ale. My family isn’t much on booze (sometimes wonder if I’m adopted, haha), but I’m happy to offer a toast!
Looking forward to hearing more about your holiday.
Andi says
I’m always afraid people will catch on if I make something too similar, even if the original was months ago! You are right that I know my content way better than anyone else does, so probably no one will notice. I drink champagne while I cook on Thanksgiving. I’ll raise a glass to you when I put the turkey in the oven :)