Bayou Cocktail: CHAI OLD FASHIONED

Autumn weather calls for bourbon and this craft cocktail combines some of the season’s best ingredients. Image by KELLY MOORE CLARK.

Drink provided by WASHINGTON WINE & SPIRITS

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

Old Fashioned

2 ounces Blanton’s bourbon

1 ounce lemon juice

1 dash orange bitters

1 ounce chai tea syrup

sparkling water, to top

cinnamon, star anise, blood orange

Chai Simple Syrup

4 chai tea bags

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make chai simple syrup by steeping chai tea bags in one cup of boiling water. Remove bags and add maple syrup. 

Bring water to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. 

Let cool and refrigerate.

Mix Old Fashioned ingredients in a cocktail shaker with 2 tablespoons of chai syrup. Shake and strain into a glass. Top with sparkling water. Garnish with cinnamon, star anise and blood oranges.