This Chai Old-Fashioned is the perfect fall cocktail! It's made with homemade chai syrup and all the warming spices make it great for the holiday season. It's easy to make and always a hit!
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Why This Recipe Works
A classic with a twist - This cocktail is by no means traditional but it's definitely inspired by it. It uses the classics like bourbon and orange bitters, but it also has delicious chai syrup and sparkling water. It's so good it'll easily become your go-to when the weather gets cold.
Perfect for fall and winter - The warming flavors of chai are perfect for any fall and winter drink, both cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks. Chai is usually a mix of black tea, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, and black pepper. It's a great flavor combination for any Thanksgiving or Holiday cocktails!
Homemade syrup - Nothing beats the flavor of homemade syrup! It takes almost no time to make and minimal effort. This chai syrup is also really versatile. You can use the rest of it in coffee, lattes like this Iced Dirty Chai Latte, matcha like this Iced Matcha Chai Latte, or other cocktails. You can even drizzle it over pancakes, waffles, or any dessert!
Ingredients
- Chai teabags - You could use a mix of spices to make the syrup like I did for this Iced Matcha Chai Latte, but using teabags is much easier, cheaper, and more accessible. You don't have to buy any spices you normally wouldn't buy and you don't have to measure anything.
- Bourbon - You can use either whiskey or Bourbon whiskey in this cocktail based on your preference.
- Chai syrup - The syrup is made with chai teabags, cane sugar, and water. You can also use brown sugar or maple syrup if you prefer or don't have cane sugar.
- Orange bitters - Classic old-fashioned uses Angostura bitters but I went with orange bitters instead to up the orange flavor of the drink. It goes really well with the chai and whiskey.
- Sparkling water - This one is optional but you can top the drink with some sparkling water to add some fizz and make it less boozy.
Variations and Substitutions
- Chai concentrate - You can use chai concentrate and some maple syrup instead of making your own syrup if you have them on hand. I find the syrup to be better for this cocktail than a concentrate and I use the rest in coffee and matcha, plus it lasts longer in the fridge, but either works great!
- Store-bought syrup - If you don't want to make the syrup and don't have any chai concentrate, you can use any quality store-bought syrup instead! I like Monin or Torani.
- Non-alcoholic - You can use a non-alcoholic spirit or leave out the bourbon altogether. Just add a splash of fresh orange juice instead and more sparkling water.
Step-by-Step Instructions
First, you'll make the syrup by steeping tea and simmering it with sugar and then you'll stir it together with the rest of the cocktail ingredients in a mixing glass and it's ready to serve! No need for a shaker here, an old-fashioned is always just stirred, not shaken.
Chai Syrup
- Add the water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Take off the heat and add chai tea bags. Steep the tea for 10 minutes and remove the tea bags.
- Add cane sugar and bring the mixture to a boil stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Take the syrup off the heat and stir in vanilla extract.
- Store the syrup in an airtight jar or a bottle in the fridge.
Chai Old Fashioned
- Into a mixing glass add bourbon, chai syrup, orange bitters, and a handful of ice.
- Stir everything together well with a cocktail spoon for a few seconds.
- Strain the cocktail into a short glass filled with ice.
- Top up the drink with sparkling water.
- Garnish with orange zest and star anise if desired. Enjoy!
Serving and Storing
An old-fashioned is served with an orange zest twist and ice in a short glass. You can keep it classic with this cocktail too or make the drink fizzy with some sparkling water like I did! Both ways work great. I'm also adding star anise on top to emphasize the chai flavor but this is optional.
Topping up the drink with sparkling water makes it a little less boozy. Plus, the classic version of this cocktail starts by mixing a cube of sugar with water which I skipped in this version and used chai syrup instead. I'm making up for that by adding some sparkling water at the end.
The drink is best served and enjoyed right away but you can store any leftover syrup in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
The leftover syrup can be used in coffee, lattes, tea, and other cocktails. See Chai Simple Syrup for more tips and ways to use it!
FAQs
Simply put, all bourbon is whiskey but not all whiskey is bourbon. Both are made from grains but Bourbon has to contain at least 51% corn.
If you want to make the process extra simple, you can use a chai concentrate and add some maple syrup or you can use some store-bought chai syrup. My favorite brands are Monin and Torani. I haven't bought chai syrup specifically from either yet but they would be my first choice.
Similar Cocktails
If you're looking for other great cocktails for fall and winter, check out the four below! They're some of the most popular recipes on the site and for a good reason! My personal favorite is the spiced rum cocktail but they're all delicious! Head to Cocktails for all the most recent ones.
- Apple Cider Bourbon Cocktail
- Apple Cider Margarita
- Spiced Rum Apple Cider Cocktail
- Chai White Russian
📖 Recipe
Chai Old Fashioned
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Cocktails
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Chai Old-Fashioned is the perfect fall cocktail! The warming spiced chai syrup also makes it great for the cold winter months and the holidays!
Ingredients
Chai Syrup
- 1 cup water
- 4 chai tea bags
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Chai Old Fashioned
- 2 oz bourbon or whiskey
- 1 oz chai syrup
- 3-4 dashes orange bitters
- Ice
- Sparkling water (optional)
- Fresh orange peel or dried orange slices and whole star anise for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Chai Syrup
- Add the water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Take off the heat and add chai tea bags. Steep the tea for 10 minutes and remove the tea bags. Squeeze as much tea out of the bag as possible.
- Add cane sugar and bring the mixture to a boil stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Take the syrup off the heat and stir in vanilla extract.
- Store the syrup in an airtight jar or a bottle in the fridge.
Chai Old Fashioned
- Into a mixing glass add bourbon, chai syrup, orange bitters, and a handful of ice.
- Stir everything together well with a cocktail spoon for a few seconds.
- Strain the cocktail into a short glass filled with ice.
- Top up the drink with sparkling water and garnish with orange zest and star anise if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Store any leftover syrup in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. You can also store it in an ice cube tray in the freezer.
Natalie says
I initially made the syrup for matcha lattes but it was so good in this old fashioned too! New fav cocktail!!