You Need This Peach Old Fashioned in Your Life, Seriously

Last Updated on February 11, 2022 by Heather Wibbels

Hold up, you’ve never tried a Peach Old Fashioned cocktail? If you’re a bourbon lover or a peach lover, this combination of ripe peach flavor, sweet bourbon, and a dash of bitters makes a gloriously refreshing summer tipple. And I’ve got two ways to get that peach flavor in it, and one doesn’t require making your own simple syrup. (Sometimes summer days are best when they’re lazy days).

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What Does a Peach Old Fashioned Taste Like?

Like most Old Fashioneds, the point of the cocktail isn’t to hide the bourbon but to complement it and amplify tasting notes and aromas already in the cocktail. If you’re a bourbon newbie I might have lost you there for a minute, but hang tight.

Bourbon is known for its typical vanilla, caramel, and baking spice flavors. Sometimes, other flavors like oak, citrus, cherry, and dried fruit come along for the ride in a great pour. Bourbon geeks love to pull out the flavors of a fabulous whiskey and can spend minutes nosing the pour before they taste it. 

When bourbon drinkers order a cocktail, they want to make sure that they can taste the bourbon in the drink; they aren’t looking to hide it. For a bourbon lover, matching the underlying notes of the bourbon with the cocktail ingredients can be a fun exploration.

In this case, the cocktail tastes like peach season heaven to me. I’ve also made a Peach Lavender Old Fashioned last year, and it’s also a great one to make. But in this case, I wanted to add different bitters, so I added both Scrappy’s Cardamom bitters and Bourbon Barrel Foods’ Old Forester Smoked Cinnamon Bitters. It was a heavenly combination.

What is an Old Fashioned?

For more information on an Old Fashioned, you can head over to my article on How to Make the Perfect Old Fashioned so head there for the full news. But in short, the Old Fashioned consists of three elements – whiskey, sugar or sweetener, and bitters. While it only has three elements, it’s one of the easiest whiskey cocktails to vary and play with.

Flavors in this Bourbon Peach Old Fashioned 

While you can use just plain angostura bitters in this cocktail, I wanted to add a little more unusual complexity to the cocktail. In this case, I added both the cardamom and cinnamon bitters because we’re getting close to fall and I’m starting to think of the flavors of autumn.

The cardamom bitters can easily get away from you, so add just a single dash and adjust up according to your taste preference. 

I tried two different peach syrups for this cocktail. The first one I’d make from fresh peaches (the recipe will follow) and the second one I made with a store-bought cocktail syrup made with fresh fruit puree. Both were very delicious in combination with these flavors. 

Side note: this cocktail is amazing with Aloo Gobi, one of my favorite Indian dishes!

How to Make a Peach Simple Syrup for Cocktails

I love to make my own simple syrups, and peach is one of the fruits I love to make without applying heat. The taste of cooked peach syrup is very different from the peach syrup you get from tossing peaches in sugar. I prefer the fresh fruit taste for this cocktail.

If you’d rather not make a peach simple syrup, Real Cocktail Ingredients makes a great peach puree syrup that makes putting this cocktail (and batching this cocktail) a snap. 

To learn more about simple syrups in general, head to my guide All About Simple Syrups.

How to Make a Peach Old Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail

Putting the cocktail together is very easy. Simply add bourbon, peach simple, and bitters to a mixing glass and add ice. Stir about 20-30 seconds and then strain into a rocks-filled rocks glass and garnish with a peach slice. 

How to Make a Batch of Peach Old Fashioned Cocktails for a Party

For a batched peach cocktail I recommend getting a bottle of the Real Cocktail Ingredients Peach Puree infused syrup. It’s one less ingredient to have to make. For a batch of about 8, you’ll combine the following in a sealable pitcher or an empty 750mL bottle:

• 2 cups bourbon – 90-100 proof
• ½ cup peach syrup
• 5 dashes cardamom bitters
• 10 dashes smoked cinnamon bitters
• ½ cup water

Combine ingredients in a pitcher or bottle and shake or stir to combine. Put in the fridge to chill for about 4-6 hours before serving. If serving from a pitcher, add some fresh peach slices to the cocktail in the pitcher. When serving, garnish it with a cocktail cherry and a slice of fresh peach.

Other Cocktails You Might Enjoy

• Peach Lavender Old Fashioned
• Gimme the Peach – Popsicle topped peach sour
• Pineapple Peach Smash
• Peach Rosemary Whiskey Sour
• Lemon Bourbon Slushie for Summer

Peached to Meet You – Peach Old Fashioned

Heather Wibbels

Step into a simple summer buzz with this quick and easy Peach Old Fashioned. Made even easier if you decide to purchase Real Peach-Puree Infused syrup. Top with cardamom and smoked cinnamon bitters if you have them, and your favorite house bitters if you don’t.

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Drinks

Cuisine Bourbon Cocktail

Ingredients

  

• 2 oz bourbon, 90-100 proof
• ½ oz peach simple syrup homemade or Real
• 1 dash Scrappy’s cardamom bitters
• 2 dashes Old Forester smoked cinnamon bitters
• Garnish: fresh peaches

Instructions

 

• Combine bourbon, peach simple, and bitters in a mixing glass.
• Add ice and stir for about 20-30 seconds, until well-chilled.
• Strain into a rocks glass with one large cube and garnish with a peach fan or fresh peach slice.

Notes

Peach Simple Syrup

• 2 cups sliced, peeled peaches
• 2 cups sugar

Add sugar to sliced peaches in a re-sealable Ziploc bag and muddle lightly with fingers. Set in fridge overnight. The next morning combine as much of the peach juice as you can with the sugar and strain into a clean glass jar to store in the fridge.

Keyword cardamom, cardamon, cinnamon, old fashioned

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!