Farm Old Fashioned

Ingredients

• ●2 oz (60 ml) bourbon whiskey (Bulleit, Buffalo Trace, or Woodford Reserve)
• ●½ oz (15 ml) Honey Syrup (see below)
• ●3 dashes Angostura bitters
• ●1 dash orange bitters (optional but recommended)
• ●1 large ice cube or sphere
• ●Orange peel (wide strip, about 1 × 3 inches)
• ●Sprig of fresh thyme (optional)
• ●*For the honey syrup:**
• ●¼ cup (85 g) raw honey
• ●¼ cup (60 ml) hot water

Method

1. *Make the honey syrup.** Stir honey and hot water together until fully dissolved. Let cool. Store in a jar. This makes enough for about 8 drinks.
2. **Combine.** In a mixing glass (or the serving glass), combine bourbon, honey syrup, and bitters.
3. **Stir.** Add ice to the mixing glass and stir for 20-30 seconds. You want about 30% dilution — the drink should feel silky, not watery.
4. **Strain** into a rocks glass over one large ice cube.
5. **Express the orange peel.** Hold the orange peel over the glass, skin side down. Squeeze it gently so the oils mist across the surface of the drink (you'll see them spray if you hold it near a flame or against the light). Run the peel around the rim of the glass, then drop it in.
6. **Garnish** with a thyme sprig if using — lay it across the top of the glass.
7. *Variations:**
8. **Maple Old Fashioned:** Replace honey syrup with maple syrup (thinned 1:1 with warm water). Use rye whiskey instead of bourbon.
9. **Smoky Old Fashioned:** Use a peated Scotch (Laphroaig or Ardbeg) instead of bourbon. Replace honey syrup with regular simple syrup.
10. **Apple Old Fashioned:** Add ½ oz fresh apple cider. Use apple brandy (Calvados) for half the base spirit.
11. *Storage:** Honey syrup keeps refrigerated for 2 weeks. If it crystallizes, warm gently.