The Chai Old Fashioned: Your New Favorite Winter Cocktail

There’s a reason the Old Fashioned has been the go-to cocktail for over 150 years — it’s simple, warming, and endlessly riffable. We took the classic and gave it a Pacific Northwest twist with our Ginger Spiced Chai concentrate. The fresh-grated ginger and whole spices play beautifully with bourbon, and the result is the kind of drink you want in your hand on a rainy Portland evening.

Makes: 1 cocktail   Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients
2 oz bourbon (we love a wheated bourbon like Maker’s Mark or Freeland's Cask Strength Bourbon)
1 oz Tanglewood Ginger Spiced Chai concentrate
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 large ice cube
Orange peel, for garnish
Cinnamon stick, for garnish (optional)

Instructions
Add the bourbon, chai concentrate, and bitters to a mixing glass filled with ice.
Stir for about 30 seconds until well chilled.
Strain into a rocks glass over one large ice cube.
Express an orange peel over the glass and drop it in.
Garnish with a cinnamon stick if you’re feeling fancy.

A note on the chai: The reason this cocktail works so well is that our Ginger Spiced Chai is brewed with whole spices — real cinnamon, cardamom, clove — not powder. That means the flavors are bright and clean, not muddy, which is exactly what you want when you’re letting a good bourbon shine.