Wandering Rye Whisky · Recipe 47
Cherry Blossom Old Fashioned
The Old Fashioned opens its windows in spring.
Ingredients
- 60 ml Wandering Rye Whisky
- 15 ml cherry blossom syrup
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 dash cherry bitters
- large clear ice cube
Method
Stir. Serve in a Rocks glass. Garnish with Lemon peel + cherry blossom (dried).
Cherry blossom syrup: steep 1 tbsp dried cherry blossoms in warm 1:1 syrup, 15 min, strain.
The story
The Old Fashioned is the most adaptable cocktail in existence. Its template — spirit, sweetener, bitters, dilution — is a framework that accepts seasonal variation without complaint. The ingredient doing the variation's work here is the sweetener: cherry blossom syrup in place of plain simple syrup. The result is not a radically different drink. It is an Old Fashioned that has been walked through a cherry orchard in April. The whisky's corn sweetness and the cherry blossom syrup's delicate floral note are complementary rather than competing. Wandering Rye's rye spice keeps everything grounded. This is seasonal variation done with respect for the original.
Tasting note
The Old Fashioned's deep amber with a floral nose that announces the season before the sip. Cherry blossom sweetness is present but subtle — Wandering Rye's grain spice and barrel warmth remain the story. This is depth with flowers on top.