Exact quantities, then the method.
A Rooibos old fashioned takes the classic stirred bourbon cocktail and swaps the sugar cube for a rooibos honey syrup. Rooibos brings a woody, honeyed depth that sits naturally alongside bourbon's vanilla and oak, with no caffeine to sharpen it.
Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Rooibos Old Fashioned (Adult Cocktail) recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/cocktails/rooibos-old-fashioned-adult-cocktail/
The syrup uses Tetley Redbush Pure, Rainforest Alliance certified rooibos from the Western Cape. Measures, glassware and garnish are below, along with a proper zero-alcohol version that keeps the same flavour.
You'll need
- 60ml bourbon or rye whiskey
- 15ml rooibos honey syrup (see step 1)
- 2 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters
- 1 dash orange bitters, optional
- A large ice cube, an orange peel and a cocktail cherry, to garnish
- For the rooibos honey syrup: 2 Tetley Redbush Pure rooibos tea bags, 100ml boiling water, 100g runny honey
Method
- Make the syrup: steep 2 rooibos bags in 100ml boiling water for 8 minutes, squeeze and discard the bags, stir in 100g honey until fully dissolved, then cool. It keeps for 2 weeks in the fridge.
- Add the bourbon, 15ml of the rooibos honey syrup and the bitters to a mixing glass filled with ice.
- Stir, do not shake, for about 30 seconds until well chilled and lightly diluted; stirring keeps an old fashioned clear and silky.
- Strain over one large ice cube in a chilled rocks glass.
- Express an orange peel over the surface, skin side down, to release the citrus oils, then drop it in with a cocktail cherry.
- Zero alcohol version: replace the bourbon with 60ml cold strong rooibos plus 10ml lemon juice, keeping the syrup and bitters, or a non alcoholic bitters.
The tea it is made with, and what to make next.
Want the background, not just the brew?
Brewed with: Tetley Redbush Pure, 40 Tea Bags 100g
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