Honeybush Bourbon Old Fashioned
Honeybush-infused bourbon stirred with honey syrup and orange bitters—a warming, autumnal cocktail where South Africa meets Kentucky in a heavy rocks glass.
Bourbon's caramel, vanilla, and oak notes are a perfect match for honeybush's naturally honeyed character. Infusing the bourbon with the tea creates a spirit that tastes like it spent an extra year in the barrel, picking up warm spice and dried fruit notes.
Infuse cold and short. Combine honeybush leaves with bourbon in a sealed jar at room temperature for four hours—long enough to extract the honeyed flavor but short enough to keep the bourbon clean. Strain through a coffee filter for clarity.
Build it like a classic Old Fashioned: honey syrup instead of sugar (it doubles down on the tea's character), a few dashes of orange bitters, and a large ice cube. The orange peel is essential—its oils tie together the bourbon's vanilla and the honeybush's caramel notes.
For a mocktail version, brew honeybush extra strong, chill it, and shake it with a honey-ginger syrup and a few dashes of non-alcoholic bitters. Serve over a single big ice cube in a rocks glass with an expressed orange peel—you get the entire ritual without the alcohol.
Ingredients
- 60 ml bourbon
- 1 tbsp loose honeybush leaves
- 1 tsp honey syrup (1:1 honey and warm water)
- 3 dashes orange bitters
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
- 1 large orange peel strip
- 1 brandied cherry (optional)
- 1 large ice cube
How to make it
- 1Infuse the bourbon: combine bourbon and honeybush leaves in a sealed jar. Rest at room temperature for 4 hours, then strain through a coffee filter.
- 2Add honey syrup, both bitters, and the infused bourbon to a mixing glass with ice.
- 3Stir gently with a long bar spoon for 20 seconds to chill and dilute.
- 4Place a large ice cube in a rocks glass. Strain the cocktail over the ice.
- 5Express the orange peel over the glass by twisting it skin-side down, then drop it in. Add the brandied cherry if using.
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