Bourbon Orange Brûlée Cocktail

The Bourbon Orange Brûlée Cocktail is a wonderful combination of bourbon, orange liqueur, and ginger syrup with a brûléed orange for garnish; it’s also a sweet treat to eat.

Every once in awhile, I crave a more sophisticated cocktail; one similar to the classics and not quite as dressed up as some of the fun cocktails I’ve devised for this space. This Bourbon Orange Brûlée Cocktail is a great example of that.

The Old Fashioned and Manhattan’s were my mother’s favorite drinks and while I never drank one with her as a kid, I can still picture her sipping from a glass with a liquid gold beverage in it and either a beautiful maraschino cherry or a twist of orange.

I was of the Shirley Temple set; the fruits in those cocktails were my favorites; without the bourbon. But I knew they were a sign of something special!

This cocktail is a bit sweeter than either of those but make no mistake, it is absolutely bourbon forward, so make sure you use something you love. For the Bourbon Orange Brûlée Cocktail I used Maker’s Mark; it’s very much my house brand.

I almost opened a bottle of Knob Creek but with four open bottles of bourbon already in my bar, well, that can wait. I need some drinkers over here…who’s coming to help?

I made this same Bourbon Orange Brûlée Cocktail a couple of weeks ago using blood oranges and it was gorgeous too but for this post, I wanted to brûlée the orange slices, not just candy them and I doubted it would show on the dark red of a blood orange; but switch it up if you want; both are equally delicious… and you don’t need to worry about photographs

I can’t deny one of the best parts? That orange slice is entirely edible. A candied orange slice that has been browned a bit with a torch and then allowed to rest in a bourbon and liqueur mixture. Oh my…I need to make more of those pups!

I bought a new toy recently and I love it but the results of it are well hidden in these photos today. I never use refrigerator ice for my cocktails that I photograph; those half moon white blobs are distracting and not attractive at all. So I buy my ice from Sprouts; it’s clear and square and looks nice in almost any cocktail.

Still, I wanted to make some of those big ice balls that are so popular in cocktails like this.

I’ve tried the small forms that make them and while they do freeze the right shape, they are also cloudy white. I know there is a reason and I know this…I would need a separate machine to be able to achieve what I want and I haven’t been interested enough in clear ice to plop down $500 so I keep trying.

Filtered water is not the answer by the way, neither is boiling it. But I just purchased something new a couple of weeks ago and it does the best job of all I’ve used without totally breaking the bank. The results were good, not perfect but really very good.

These are not just pretty but really serve a purpose for cocktail; the ice melts much slower than small cubes; they’re perfect for a sipper like this Bourbon and Orange Brûlée Cocktail. If you’re a bit of a fanatic about ice too; you might want to check out the Perfect Ice Ball Maker (Amazon affiliate link).

The unit comes with a container that holds the forms that make the ice round and it’s frozen with more water surrounding the freezing orbs. What I found was that the top two-thirds of the ice is really clear but the bottom still had some of the dreaded white ice.

Not a lot though so while I would wish for super clear, these are the best I’ve made and I’m pleased with the results; you can see through them!

This cocktail was a real hit and one that’s made it’s way into our regular holiday rotation; it’s has a unique flavor profile but still one that is great for the winter season.

PIN IT! ‘Bourbon Orange Brûlée Cocktail’

Bourbon and Orange Brûlée Cocktail

Barbara Baker

A wonderfully rich bourbon cocktail with the taste of orange and ginger.

4 from 50 or more votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Bourbon, Cocktails, Friday Cocktails

Cuisine American

Servings 2 Cocktails

Calories 322 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the Brûléed Orange Slices

• 1 medium navel orange
• ¾ cup water
• ¼ cup granulated sugar

For the Cocktail

• ¼ cup orange juice
• 3 ounces bourbon
• 1 ounce sherry
• 1 ounce ginger liqueur

Instructions

 

To Brûlée the Orange Slices

• Slice the orange into approximately 1/8″ slices. In a medium skillet, combine the water and sugar and bring to a boil. Add the orange slices and cook over moderate heat, turning them occasionally, until the liquid is reduced to a thin syrup and the orange slices are translucent, about 20 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer until the syrup is thick and the slices are tender but still intact, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer the orange slices to a rack to cool. Reserve the syrup for another use.

To Make the Cocktail

• Combine bourbon, orange juice, sherry, and ginger liqueur in a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice cubes. Shake vigorously until shaker is ice cold and then strain the cocktail over ice into two rocks glasses. Garnish each drink with an orange slice.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Bourbon and Orange Brûlée Cocktail

Serving Size

 

1 Cocktail

Amount per Serving

Calories

322

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

0.3

g

0

%

Sodium

 

11

mg

0

%

Carbohydrates

 

47

g

16

%

Protein

 

1

g

2

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Calories

322

Keyword bourbon, brulee, cocktails, orange

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!