The Blackberry Old Fashioned (with Blackberry Bourbon Gastrique)
If you love a classic Old Fashioned but want to bring a rich, deep fruit profile to your summer rotation, this riff is a total game-changer. Instead of muddling fresh fruit or using a standard simple syrup, we are elevating this cocktail with a homemade blackberry bourbon gastrique. The combination of caramelized sugar, dark berries and a heavy-hitting bourbon creates a complex, velvet-textured drink that stays bold from the first sip to the last.
Ingredients for a Blackberry Old Fashioned
- 2 oz. High-proof Bourbon (like Elijah Craig Small Batch or Barrel Proof)
- 2 bar spoons Blackberry Bourbon Gastrique (or Syrup)
- 2 dashes Orange Bitters
- Garnish: A wide orange twist and a fresh blackberry
How to make a Blackberry Old Fashioned
- Combine: In a mixing glass, add the two bar spoons of your cooled blackberry gastrique, the orange bitters and your high-proof bourbon.
- Chill and Dilute: Fill the mixing glass with plenty of clean ice. Stir gently for about 30 seconds to properly chill the cocktail and achieve the perfect amount of dilution.
- Strain: Place a large, clear ice cube into a rocks glass. Strain the cocktail over the ice.
- Garnish: Express a wide piece of orange peel over the top of the glass to release the citrus oils, wipe it around the rim and drop it in.
Blackberry Gastrique Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups blackberries
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup bourbon, I used Elijah Craig Barrel Proof
- 1/2 cup Apple cider vinegar (Optional: Include this if you want a traditional, tangy gastrique; omit for a rich blackberry syrup)
How to make a Blackberry Gastrique
- Simmer: In a medium saucepan, combine the fresh blackberries, sugar, bourbon, (and vinegar, if using). Bring the liquid up to a boil over medium-high heat, then immediately reduce to a low simmer.
- Thicken: Cook the mixture for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and gently pressing down on the berries to release their juices, until the liquid becomes thick and syrupy.
- Strain and Cool: Remove the pan from the heat. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a glass jar, pressing on the solids to extract all the syrup while leaving the seeds behind. Set aside to cool completely before using.
Why this works?
This blackberry, bourbon and rice wine vinegar gastrique works beautifully because it introduces a sophisticated edge of bright, crisp acidity that prevents the heavy-hitting Elijah Craig Barrel Proof bourbon and sugar from tasting cloyingly sweet. While traditional apple cider vinegar can sometimes be overly sharp, unseasoned rice wine vinegar delivers a softer, slightly sweeter tang that plays nice with the delicate, dark-fruit notes of the fresh blackberries. By simmering the berries, sugar and bourbon together, you trigger a complex chemical reaction that concentrates the natural sugars and extracts deep vanilla and charred oak notes from the whiskey. When stirred into the final cocktail, this velvety syrup stretches out the mid-palate, bridging the gap between the bold, high-proof structure of the bourbon and the aromatic citrus oils of the orange twist for a perfectly unified, layered sip.
Pro-tip
Because we are cooking down the alcohol in the gastrique, using a high-proof expression like Elijah Craig Barrel Proof ensures that those deep, charred oak and vanilla notes stay concentrated in the syrup. When paired with a strong 94-proof+ bourbon as the cocktail base, the whiskey effortlessly cuts through the rich sweetness of the dark berries.