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This Whiskey Peanut Butter Old Fashioned is All the Rage

4.80 from 5 votes

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Last Updated on January 10, 2023 by Heather Wibbels

I don’t sip flavored whiskies neat, but with this Peanut Butter Old Fashioned, I set out to duplicate the rich flavor of a Reese’s peanut butter cup in a cocktail.

peanut butter old fashioned with a chocolate garnish.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Old Fashioned

This time of year my attempts to leave the grocery without a bag of Reese’s peanut butter eggs are generally kept. But, I can still enjoy decadent chocolate and peanut butter together in this easy peanut butter cup cocktail. 

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Ingredients in a Peanut Butter Old Fashioned

I crave this recipe two times a year. In the fall around Halloween time, and again near Easter. Sometimes just walking down the candy aisle is enough to make me crave a bag of peanut butter chocolate candy. 

  • Peanut Butter Whiskey – There are several brands to choose from, but I think the best peanut butter whiskey is Skrewball( affiliate link).
  • Chocolate Whiskey
  • Chocolate Bitters – I suggest using a chocolate bitter that doesn’t have a strong heat/spice element – think dark chocolate notes, like The Bitter Truth chocolate bitters, or Scrappy’s chocolate bitters. Nothing to heat up the mouth. This cocktail isn’t a multi-dimensional craft cocktail. It’s easy and sweet. 

For this screwball old fashioned (more on how to make an old fashioned here), I decided to combine the peanut butter and chocolate flavors of a Reese’s peanut butter cup with my favorite bourbon whiskey.

The combination of rich, smooth bourbon and sweetness from the candy flavors makes this a phenomenal dessert cocktail! A peanut butter old fashion is easy to sip, and it’s easy to make, too.

How to Make the Best Screwball Old Fashioned

Screwball Old Fashioned with Reese's cup garnish next to a blue cocktail napkin.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Old Fashioned
  1. Add the peanut butter whiskey old fashioned ingredients to a mixing glass. As usual, fill with ice, stir and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. 

PRO TIP
Since it’ll be served over ice, I tend to under-dilute, just slightly. That keeps the drink from getting watered down as you sip on it. 

  1. Add your garnish. Because this is technically candy in a glass, we’ll add a peanut butter cup (or three) to the cocktail as a garnish. No need to get complicated with a drink that’s meant to be an easy indulgence.

Adjusting the Sweetness of a Peanut Butter Old Fashioned

This peanut butter old fashion is meant to be one where the bourbon can still be detected. If you are looking for a ratio that hides the bourbon better, switch the recipe below to 1 oz. bourbon and 1 oz. peanut butter whiskey.

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Recommended Bar Tools

You don’t need every slick, beautiful bar tool out there to make a peanut butter old fashioned, but there are several I’ll recommend. (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. However, that does not affect the cost of the items below.) My favorite pieces:

You probably already have these, but you may need them, too:

Other Fantastic Peanut Butter Cocktails to Enjoy

Peanut butter old fashioned with whiskey in a glass garnished with Reese's cups.

Peanut Butter Old Fashioned

Picture of Heather Wibbels, Cocktail Contessa, pouring a cocktailHeather Wibbels
Give the kid in you a chocolate peanut butter dessert cocktail to sip on with this recipe for an indulgent whiskey peanut butter old fashioned!
4.80 from 5 votes
Course Drinks
Cuisine Bourbon Cocktail
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 oz bourbon 90-100 proof Something smooth, with hints of vanilla
  • ½ oz peanut butter whiskey I prefer Skrewball
  • ½ oz crème de cacao/chocolate whiskey non creamy
  • 2 dashes chocolate bitters
  • 1 dash cherry bark vanilla bitters optional
  • Garnish: a Reese’s peanut butter cup, of course!

Instructions
 

  • Combine ingredients in a mixing glass and fill with ice.
  • Stir until well-chilled and strain into a rocks glass with one large ice cube.
  • Garnish with a Reese’s cup. Good luck waiting until you’re done with the drink to eat the candy!

Notes

If you are looking for a ratio that hides the bourbon better, switch the recipe below to 1 oz bourbon and 1 oz peanut butter whiskey.
Keyword Ballotin Whiskey, bourbon, chocolate, peanut butter
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

This post, first published in March 2021, was last updated with new content in January 2023.

By on March 26th, 2021
Picture of Heather Wibbels, Cocktail Contessa, pouring a cocktail

About Heather Wibbels

Heather Wibbels is a whiskey and cocktail author (Executive Bourbon Steward, no less) with a passion for cocktails. She loves researching and designing cocktails, drinking cocktails, and teaching cocktails. Mostly whiskey cocktails, given her Kentucky location.

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2 thoughts on “This Whiskey Peanut Butter Old Fashioned is All the Rage”

  1. I tried this drink at the block restraunt in st louis park, it was excellent!!! I cant wait to try and make it myself

    Reply

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