Gingerbread Old Fashioned

Once again I am making excuses for not posting in so long.  But I swear this time I have a really good one!  Three days ago I successfully completed by PhD defense!  If that’s not an excuse for being M.I.A. then I don’t know what is. 

I’ve had several drinks to celebrate since, and now I want to share one with you!

Call me old fashioned (haha), but I’m a sucker for the classics.  This recipe was originally supposed to be a gingerbread latte cocktail and I was experimenting with spiced rum, rye, or bourbon with this gingerbread syrup, coffee liqueur, and cream, but nothing seemed to work just right.  Then I tried it before adding the other ingredients and the lightbulb went off.

Why mess with a good thing?  Ok maybe we messed with it a little. 

You’ll like this one.  Trust me, I’m a doctor!

Gingerbread Old Fashioned

2 oz rye

¼ oz gingerbread syrup (recipe below)

2 dashes mole bitters

1 dash orange bitters

Orange peel to garnish

Cloves, optional

Combine rye, syrup, and bitters in a rocks glass with one large ice cube.  Stir.  Garnish with orange peel with/without whole cloves.

Gingerbread Syrup

1 cup water

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

3 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1 cm piece coarsely chopped ginger

1 tbsp molasses

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil.  Cover and let steep for at least an hour.  Strain. Keep refrigerated.