Here at Wilderness Whiskey Women, we love a good Old Fashioned cocktail. I often opt for an Old Fashioned wherever I see it on a cocktail menu. One of our favorite activities is experimenting with different sweeteners and bitters to create a new Old Fashioned experience. It is how we came up with this week’s cocktail, the Pluot Old Fashioned.
Over the past few weeks, the weather has gotten noticeably cooler as we trend toward late fall in the high country. The temps during the day have often been in the 50s, with the overnight lows dropping into the upper 20s. It is a perfect time of the year to sip an Old Fashioned to keep us warm on a chilly evening. However, like most things in life, we sometimes get tired of drinking the same old basic Old Fashioned cocktail.
Recently, I’ve had a craving for an apricot cocktail. I’ve actually tried and missed on a few apricot-based cocktails over the past few weeks. I just hadn’t been able to find the right ingredients to pair with the subtle sweetness of apricot. That is until I tried using apricot preserves as a sweetener in our Pluot Old Fashioned.
The Pluot Old Fashioned
Our Pluot Old Fashioned is a spin on an Old Fashioned Cocktail requiring three ingredients. We used bourbon, apricot preserves, and plum bitters to craft the beverage. The apricot preserves replace the sugar cube or simple syrup that is normally used in an Old Fashioned. We kept the same spirit of the cocktail without adding a bunch of extra ingredients.
For the Pluot Old Fashioned, we used Fee Brother Plum Bitters and some apricot preserves we had in the fridge. Over the summer, I had a couple of weeks where I ate PB&J for lunch nearly every day. Yet, I hadn’t returned to the preserves in a while. I felt the need to use them sooner rather than later. Luckily, they make a great sweetener to replace simple syrup.
You’ll need a shaker and a strainer to make the Pluot Old Fashioned. We found that using the shaker helps to dissolve the apricot preserves better and saves more of the flavor. The strainer removes the larger pieces of fruit from the preserves, making it easier to drink without the floaties. We found shaking the mixture saved us time. Considering how busy we’ve been, saving even a minute feels like it makes a world of difference.
We liked the Pluot Old Fashioned best with Kirkland Bottled-in-Bond. You can check out our full review of Kirkland BiB here. Regardless of which whiskey you choose, you’re sure to love the Pluot Old Fashioned. Give it a try and let us know what you think in the comments or on our Instagram.
Happy Exploring!
Pluot Old Fashioned
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Bourbon
- 1 tbsp Apricot Preserves
- 3 dashes Fee Brothers Plum Bitters
Instructions
- In a shaker, combine bourbon, apricot preserves, and bitters.
- Shake vigorously.
- Strain and serve in a rocks glass.
- Garnish with an apricot (optional).
- Enjoy!