This Apple Butter Old Fashioned takes a classic bourbon cocktail and stirs in real apple cider and apple butter, then finishes it with a brown sugar rim. It comes together in one shaker in about five minutes, no simple syrup or muddling required.
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Apple Butter Old Fashioned
I love putting together a good craft cocktail, especially once fall hits and apple butter shows back up in my pantry. Bourbon and apple butter felt like an obvious pairing this year. So, I stirred them together with apple cider and a splash of club soda for a drink that tastes like the season!
This one works at a party, too – it’s not just for the bourbon drinkers who already know what they like. I’ve watched plenty of women reach for a good Old Fashioned once they try it so don’t assume it’s only for the guys in the room.
Pour a round before Thanksgiving dinner and go around the table sharing what everyone’s thankful for. It’s a nice reason to slow down before the food comes out.
Why You’ll Love This Drink
- Real Apple Flavor: Apple cider and apple butter vs bottled syrup
- Balanced: Club soda thins it out so it’s a cocktail and not a dessert.
- Easy to Multiply: Built for one glass with easily scalable ratios if pouring for a table.
What You’ll Need
Just a handful of ingredients, most of which double as a good fall snack on their own.
- apple butter
- apple cider
- bourbon
- club soda
- ice
- brown sugar (for the rim, optional)
- corn syrup (for the rim, optional)
- fresh apples or cinnamon sticks (for garnish, optional)
Note: Always check the recipe card for a full list of ingredients, amounts, and steps.
How to Make Apple Butter Old Fashioned
This one comes together in the time it takes to gather your glass and shaker, so let’s get pouring.
- Rim the glass: add the brown sugar to one small plate and the corn syrup to another. Dip the rim of the glass into the corn syrup first, then into the sugar.
- Make the drink: Add ice, the apple butter, apple cider, and bourbon to a cocktail shaker
- Shake well until the apple butter fully combines and everything’s chilled.
- Add fresh ice to your rimmed glass, if you’d like.
- Strain the cocktail into the glass.
- Garnish with cinnamon sticks and apple slices, if desired.
Tips & Tricks – Apple Butter Old Fashioned
• Dip the rim in corn syrup before the sugar, not the other way around. The syrup gives the sugar something to stick to so it doesn’t shake loose once you start pouring.
• Give the shaker a good, hard shake. Apple butter is thick, so it takes more effort than a typical cocktail to fully dissolve into the cider and bourbon.
• This cocktail doesn’t hold up well made ahead of time because the club soda loses its fizz and the ice melts down. Shake it up right before serving.
• Apple juice can stand in for apple cider. Just be aware that cider carries more of that fresh-pressed apple flavor so the drink won’t taste quite as full without it.
Want to Change it Up?
Try these options if you’re looking to shake things up a bit:
- Swap the bourbon for rye if you want a spicier bite (it will shift the drink away from bourbon’s natural sweetness).
- Make it a mocktail by leaving out the bourbon and adding a splash more club soda in its place.
More Drink Recipes
Apple Butter Old Fashioned
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp apple butter
- 1 1/2 ounces apple cider
- 1 1/2 ounces bourbon
- 1 ounce club soda
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar optional, for the rim
- 2 Tbsp corn syrup optional, for the rim
- ice
- fresh apples or cinnamon sticks optional, for garnish
Instructions
For Rim
- Add the brown sugar to a saucer and add the corn syrup to a separate saucer.2 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 Tbsp corn syrup
- Dip the rim of the glass into the corn syrup and then into the sugar.
For Drink
- Add ice, apple butter, apple cider, and bourbon to a cocktail shaker.1 Tbsp apple butter, 1 1/2 ounces apple cider, ice, 1 1/2 ounces bourbon
- Shake well to combine and chill.
- Add fresh ice to your drink glass, if desired.
- Pour the cocktail, strained, into the glass.
- Top with club soda and garnish with cinnamon sticks and/or apple slices (optional).1 ounce club soda, fresh apples or cinnamon sticks
Nutrition
Nutritional information accuracy not guaranteed.
