This Rosemary Old Fashioned with Citrus cocktail is an excellent cold weather cocktail. The orange wakes you up with a bit of zing and the rosemary gives it a warm herbal, earthy taste to help round out the deep undertones from Pendleton Midnight Whisky.
Baby, it’s cold outside. So warm up with one (or two!) of these Rosemary Old Fashioned Cocktails with Citrus.
Rosemary Old Fashioned Cocktails
I’m a bourbon girl, and a big fan of whiskey cocktails.
It’s hard to top a classic Old Fashioned cocktail. But there are so many great ways to add personal twists to the classic recipe.
You can easily make an Old Fashioned cocktail work for any season, for any occasion, and to suit a variety of different tastes.
Choose Your Whisky Wisely
Over the summer, I had the incredible honor of getting a sneak peek taste of the brand new Pendleton Midnight, a 90 proof oak barrel-aged whisky.
Pendleton Midnight is a rich, musky whisky. It has aromatic winter whispers of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.
This would also be an AMAZING whisky to use in winter desserts as well Oh, you KNOW I have plans for that!
Because it’s a full-bodied, smoky drink, I wanted to pair it with some citrus to lighten and brighten its mood up a bit. Then I added rosemary to round out the holiday spirit with this simple syrup.
Cocktail garnishes
Want to get really fancy? Garnish this Rosemary Citrus Old Fashioned cocktail with some candied oranges or even candied ginger.
I’m a mom of two who is trying to run two full-time businesses, manage a house, juggle holiday madness, etcetera etcetera. So there’s nothing fancy about ANYTHING in my life right now. That said: candied garnishes are so easy and if you can do it, I say go for it!
Pendleton Midnight is made by Hood River Distillers, Inc., with a brand new distillery open to the public in Hood River, Oregon. If you are traveling through Portland, be sure to make the hour drive out there to check it out! They are one of my favorite local distillers!
More cocktail recipes
Bourbon and Bitters Cocktail: Old Man River
Bourbon Renewal Cocktail
Rosemary Citrus Old Fashioned
Classic Moscow Mule Recipe
Rosemary Citrus Old Fashioned
Ingredients
- 2 oz Pendleton Midnight Whisky, or other dark whisky
- 1 oz rosemary syrup, see below
- 3-4 drops bitters, I use grapefruit but you could use any citrus bitters
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
Instructions
- Make the Rosemary Citrus Simple Syrup:
- In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons sugar, 3-5 orange slices, a few sprigs of fresh rosemary.
- Mix over medium heat until sugar has dissolved, which just takes a minute or so.
- Remove from heat, strain liquid into a separate bowl, and cool to room temperature.
- Stir whisky, 1 teaspoon rosemary citrus syrup, and bitters well in a shaker then pour over ice in a glass. Garnish with orange slices and a small sprig of rosemary.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What’s your favorite whisky cocktail? Or, if you don’t like whisky, what’s your favorite wintertime beverage?
Thanks to Pendleton Whisky for providing me with a sample to work with in creating this and other recipes. All opinions and photos are, as always, my own.
hey, they told me I was first!
*kidding* ;)
we love whiskey, and I know my husband will love this recipe! beautiful photos…
What lovely photographs – This really does sound like a perfect cocktail for chilly nights! Your styling is beautiful as well!
I’m a straight Bourbon or whiskey girl but I have been known to enjoy a well made old fashioned or Manhattan. I love when people experiment with flavors like a walnut or red pepper bitters…rosemary wasn’t even on my radar. Very excited to try this.
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I’m in BC right now and I can’t find it anywhere! Kind of odd considering it’s distilled in Canada, and kind of sad because this seems like the perfect drink for a cold winter night… Guess I’ll have to wait until we get back to the States. :)
My gosh that looks delicious! I love the rosemary idea. I, too, love a good whisky cocktail, but they can be rather heavy. This one looks super refreshing!
This cocktail looks like the perfect thing to sip on during the holidays!
I love the sound of this. Even more I love your photographs. Can you please come and stage a drink cart for my Christmas dinner? ;)
A++ on the styling of the shoot, and love the idea (though not the effort) of pretty candied oranges with the rosemary and this cocktail. I love the combination of smoky Whiskey with bright acidity, like it’s deep and thoughtful and cheerful and refreshing haha
It looks so refreshing!. I’m really into cocktails recenly and I’ll have to try this one. Beautiful pictures also.
I love using rosemary in drink, especially around the holidays because it’s so festive! I love the look AND taste. 2 for 1. This drink sounds RIGHT up my alley. I have regular Pendleton on my bar cart right now, might have to make one this afternoon.
Hmmm…wintertime beverages? Probably red wine, but I love the infusion of herbs in cocktails. Rosemary and citrus sounds divine.
Oh this cocktail looks delicious! Might have to be our Christmas evening drink after we run out of wine…. ;)
Our winter has been so mild outside!! But I could enjoy this drink any time, right?! Haha, I am all for this and like that you used grapefruit bitter!
Oh my, this sounds so good! I am going to need to try this!
This is one stunning drink. Your photos are absolutely beautiful. I’ve never tried Pendleton Whisky, is it available in Canada? I’m going to have to look for it. I love using Whisky to cook. I make burgers with whisky sauce over them, seriously yummy!
I wish it was cold outside! Those of us on east coast are dying for some of the right weather! Especially because drinks like this sound perfect for it!