Brown Butter Maple Old Fashioned Recipe
This brown butter maple old fashioned is like a fall dessert in a glass — smooth, buttery, and lightly sweetened. If a maple cinnamon roll made its way into drink form, it would undoubtedly end up reincarnated as this drink.
If you ask me, as a recipe developer and blogger, what my favorite drink would be, the old fashioned would be high on my list. It's already one of the most satisfying classic drinks, with bourbon, bitters, and just the right touch of sweetness, stirred cold and served over a single large ice cube to prevent dilution. But in this version, I start with the classic structure and push it further into craft drink territory by fat-washing the bourbon with brown butter, one of the most complementary fats to use with this spirit. The process leaves behind the nutty, caramelized flavor compounds without any oiliness. The result is a bourbon that tastes much richer and more complex than it did going in.
If you're a fan of cocktails that have a reason behind every step, then this old fashioned is for you. It has maple syrup to complement the subtle, mellow sweetness of the bourbon, and a smoked cinnamon glass adds an aroma that precedes the first sip. Keep in mind, though, that this isn't a drink you make on a whim one busy Tuesday night. It requires some planning and forethought, but the results are more than worth it.
Gather the ingredients for the brown butter maple old fashioned
For the brown butter bourbon, you'll need unsalted butter and bourbon. For the old fashioned cocktail itself, you'll need maple syrup, Angostura bitters, orange bitters, a cinnamon stick, and orange peel.
Step 1: Brown the butter
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Step 2: Cool the brown butter
Cook, swirling occasionally, until it turns amber and smells nutty, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 2 minutes.
Step 3: Combine the butter and bourbon
Combine the brown butter and bourbon in a jar and stir well. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then freeze for at least 2 hours, until the fat solidifies on top.
Step 4: Skim off the fat
Skim off and discard the solidified fat.
Step 5: Strain the brown butter bourbon
Strain the bourbon through a coffee filter or cheesecloth to remove any remaining milk solids. This yields brown butter bourbon.
Step 6: Make the cocktail
Combine 2 ounces of the brown butter bourbon, the maple syrup, Angostura bitters, and orange bitters in a mixing glass with ice. Stir for 30 seconds, until well chilled.
Step 7: Light a cinnamon stick
Hold one end of the cinnamon stick with tongs and light the other end with a lighter or match until it smolders and smokes (it won't sustain a flame on its own).
Step 8: Smoke the glass
Take a heatproof rocks glass made out of thick glass, and invert it over the smoking end to trap the smoke inside. Let it sit for 15 to 20 seconds.
Step 9: Trap the smoke
Lift the glass away, top it with a coaster to keep the smoke trapped, and set it right-side up.
Step 10: Pour the cocktail into the glass
Remove the coaster, add a large ice cube, and pour the cocktail over it.
Step 11: Express an orange peel
Express the orange peel over the drink and drop it in.
Step 12: Garnish and serve the cocktail
Garnish with the burnt cinnamon stick and serve the cocktail.
What can I serve with a brown butter old fashioned?
Brown Butter Maple Old Fashioned Recipe
Our brown butter maple old fashioned gets the elevated craft cocktail treatment with brown butter fat-washed bourbon and a cinnamon-smoked glass.
Ingredients
- For the brown butter bourbon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup bourbon
- For the cocktail
- ½ ounce maple syrup
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 dash orange bitters
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 orange peel
Directions
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Cook, swirling occasionally, until it turns amber and smells nutty, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 2 minutes.
- Combine the brown butter and bourbon in a jar and stir well. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then freeze for at least 2 hours, until the fat solidifies on top.
- Skim off and discard the solidified fat.
- Strain the bourbon through a coffee filter or cheesecloth to remove any remaining milk solids. This yields brown butter bourbon.
- Combine 2 ounces of the brown butter bourbon, the maple syrup, Angostura bitters, and orange bitters in a mixing glass with ice. Stir for 30 seconds, until well chilled.
- Hold one end of the cinnamon stick with tongs and light the other end with a lighter or match until it smolders and smokes (it won't sustain a flame on its own).
- Take a heatproof rocks glass made out of thick glass, and invert it over the smoking end to trap the smoke inside. Let it sit for 15 to 20 seconds.
- Lift the glass away, top it with a coaster to keep the smoke trapped, and set it right-side up.
- Remove the coaster, add a large ice cube, and pour the cocktail over it.
- Express the orange peel over the drink and drop it in.
- Garnish with the burnt cinnamon stick and serve the cocktail.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 813 |
| Total Fat | 23.1 g |
| Saturated Fat | 14.4 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 61.1 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 12.3 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.6 g |
| Total Sugars | 8.9 g |
| Sodium | 5.2 mg |
| Protein | 0.4 g |
What is the purpose of mixing butter with bourbon?
The technique of mixing brown butter with bourbon is called fat washing, and it makes a spirit that tastes noticeably richer and more layered than its standard version. Fat washing came to the forefront of bartending in 2007, when bartender Don Lee at Please Don't Tell in New York made the first widely known fat-washed cocktail. It was also an old fashioned, albeit one infused with bacon fat.
The principle behind this method is that fat is a solvent for flavor compounds. When you combine a fat with a high-proof spirit and let them sit together, the fat draws out certain aromatic molecules while also depositing its own flavor into the liquid. When you chill the mixture, the fat solidifies and can be skimmed off cleanly, leaving behind a spirit that carries the fat's flavor, without its texture or mouthfeel.
This is why, despite using dairy compounds, there is not an ounce of dairy flavor or character in the finished drink. Our version uses butter, which is probably one of the easiest and most accessible fats to work with for this recipe, because its flavor goes so well with the bourbon's existing vanilla and caramel notes.
What adaptations can you make to this maple old fashioned recipe?
The easiest ingredient to start experimenting with in this drink is the fat itself. Brown butter gives the drink a caramel-tinged flavor, but you can use the OG method and use bacon fat for a smokier, more savory result. The technique is the same here, and the resulting drink ends up rich and complex rather than nutty and dessert-adjacent. Coconut oil makes for another great option, and gives the drink a faint tropical note, or you can try another plant-based fat-washing option like olive oil.
If you want to switch up the bourbon, rye whiskey is a close alternative. It will result in a drier, spicier old fashioned that is much less sweet. For the sweetener, try honey syrup in place of the maple syrup, or even Demerara brown sugar syrup for a stronger sweetness.
Finally, you can also skip the smoked glass step, or you can briefly light a strip of dried orange peel for a charred citrus aroma. If you have a smoking gun or top, feel free to use that for more control over the amount of smoke in the glass.