recipe // smoke & flowers old fashioned

Spring has officially sprung! If you follow along on Instagram, you know I am having a serious moment with edible flowers. Maybe it’s because spring is finally gracing us with it’s presence or simply because they are just so darn pretty! Edible flowers have the ability to fancy-up even the most humble of cocktails, like the Old Fashioned.

Disclosure: this is not your typical Old Fashioned. Typically, this cocktail is associated with bourbon… but an Old Fashioned can be made with any type of whiskey, even other spirits like rum! This particular one is infused with scotch. Using a scotch that is light on the peat (aka what gives scotch it’s smokey note) makes it more approachable for springtime sipping.

This floral Old Fashioned recipe is the ideal drink for transitioning from winter to spring. Warming whiskey intertwined with floral notes from a rose syrup and flower bitters (yes, flower bitters) and topped with a beautiful bloom. There is a lingering chill in the night air and parts of the country are still getting blanketed in snow, so sipping on this drink will keep you warm while bringing promises of spring.

Smoke & Flowers Old Fashioned Recipe

• 2 1/2 oz Scotch (we suggest Glen Grant 10 year)
• 1/2 tsp rose simple syrup (recipe below)
• 1 dropper of  Flower & Cacao bitters (or two dashes of other aromatic bitters)
• lemon peel
• organic edible flower, garnish

Chill an old fashioned glass for 15 minutes. Add one large ice cube or a few smaller ones to the glass. Add syrup into the glass with bitters. Stir. Add in the scotch. Stir again. Run a lemon peel around the edge of the rim and twist over the glass to release the citrus oils. Discard lemon peel. Garnish with edible flower.

Rose simple syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup dried, organic rose buds

Add sugar and water to a pot and turn to high. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the rose buds. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let steep for 1 hour. Once cool, strain into an airtight jar and store in the fridge for up to a month.

Cocktail, styling, and photography by Craft + Cocktails for Jojotastic.

More recipes right this way!