Honey Old-Fashioned

5 from 1 vote

The Honey Old-Fashioned is buzzing with flavor and perfect for springtime sipping. It’s an easy twist on a classic recipe that’s easy for beginner mixologists.

Three textured glasses on a white surface. One glass contains a golden liquid with lemon slices and a sprig of thyme. A small jar with honey and a sprig of thyme is nearby.

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About this Honey Old-Fashioned recipe

I love trying new drinks. Like really love it, enough to make it my day job. But sometimes, a few small tweak is enough to make an old favorite feel new again.

This Honey Old-Fashioned feels brand new, like a bud that has just opened to welcome spring. Light floral flavor blends seamlessly with bourbon to create a light, bright twist on the classic old-fashioned.

While this is definitely a riff on an old-fashioned, it’s also a bit reminiscent of the bee’s knees cocktail. I think that’s thanks to the honey (which offers a perfect sweetness) and the tart little bite of lemon that comes from the zest. I love a good old-fashioned and this one is certainly climbing the charts!

More honey recipes: Honey Lemon Whiskey SourGold Rush CocktailHoney Mango Lemonade

A textured glass filled with an orange beverage, garnished with a sprig of thyme. Two similar glasses are blurred in the background.

Why you’ll love this recipe

  1. It gives a classic cocktail new flavor. If you already love sipping an old-fashioned, give this variation a try.
  2. Perfect for spring sipping. This libation has sweet and floral notes that emulate spring.
  3. It’s easy to make. With just a handful of ingredients, easily mix a drink and enjoy it in minutes.
Three textured glasses with honey-colored liquid, garnished with lemon slices and sprigs of thyme, on a light surface. A small honey jar with a dipper is in the background.

Tools & glassware

A well-stocked home bar is my secret to mixing up great drinks. Now, that doesn’t stop at the booze! Having good bar basics — cocktail shaker *, mixing glass, bar spoon *, jigger *… — means that when inspiration strikes, I’m ready to go!

For the Honey Old-Fashioned, the basics will serve you well. You’ll want a mixing glass * and bar spoon *, as well as a strainer.

The honey syrup doesn’t require anything special either — you probably have everything in the kitchen already! It needs a saucepan, measuring cup and spoon (or whisk). You can even make it in them microwave in something microwave-safe, or use a kettle to warm the water.

Old-fashioneds are traditionally served in heavy bottomed tumblers, known as both rocks glasses and old-fashioned glasses. There is a little bit of size variance — single old-fashioned glasses * are smaller and more old-school. Double old-fashioned glasses *, AKA rocks glasses *, are more common these days simply because they’re a bit larger and can fit the large ice cube that’s a signature of the sipper.

Ingredients

This recipe is a riff off of the classic, so you’ll see some familiar ingredients on the list. Here’s what I used to give the iconic sipper a spring makeover:

For the full measurements and step-by-step instructions, head down to the recipe card. It’s all there waiting for you!

To make the best Honey Old-Fashioned, use a high-quality whiskey — or even a mid-price one — to level up your drink. And please, please skip the cocktail shaker and club soda that is found in some recipes. Both of these dilute the drink you worked so hard to make!

decorative icon of a rocks glass.

Don’t miss Whiskey 101 where you can learn more about which bottles to buy.

Overhead view of two glasses with orange drink and ice, garnished with lemon slices and thyme. A lemon, a spoon, and another beverage are nearby on a white surface.

Garnishes

Citrus is a must for an old-fashioned, but swapping the orange for lemon zest brightens the drink and compliments the sweetness of the honey.

I love a pop of green that a sprig of herbs provides in the spring and summer. There’s something about it that feels so fresh! For my Honey Old-Fashioned I used a sprig of thyme — soon I’ll be harvesting my own from my cocktail herb garden!

One non-negotiable for me is the large ice cube for an old-fashioned. If I’m using a sphere or large cube, I use the directional freezing method to produce clear ice that feels like I’m at a fancy cocktail bar. To fit with the Honey Old-Fashioned, I used an ice designer * to create a honeycomb pattern for my ice and it has me happier than a bee in a field of flowers!

Honey for cocktails

Now, you’re not going to grab your honey bear and squeeze it directly into your drink. As I’ve mentioned above, honey seizes when it meets a cold liquid, leaving you with an unappealing solid that won’t do much to sweeten your drink.

Fortunately, most types of honey will work well in a cocktail or drink, but you’ll want one that is 100% pure honey — some brands may be mixed with corn syrup or other ingredients, so always check the label.

I really like using local, raw honey * because it is unfiltered. Honey takes on the flavor of the flowers whose pollen the honeybees are feeding from, so you can look for a flavor profile like wildflower honey * (my personal favorite), clover honey * or orange blossom honey * if you prefer.

Two textured glasses filled with a light orange drink, garnished with thyme. A jar of honey, lemons, a spoon, and thyme sprigs are nearby on a white surface.

Substitutions & variations

Instructions

The Honey Old-Fashioned comes together in just a few simple steps.

a saucepan on a stove heating together honey and water
a spatula stirring honey and water together in a saucepan on a stove

First, create your honey syrup by combining honey and warm water on the stove. Stir on low heat until the honey is dissolved, then allow the syrup to cool before using.

Liquid being poured from a measuring cup into a glass containing an amber-colored drink.
Pouring tea-colored liquid from a metal cup into a glass container with remnants of the same liquid at the bottom.

Next, fill your mixing glass * with ice. Measure in your whiskey and honey syrup.

A hand stirs a golden-brown liquid with ice in a clear glass using a twisted metal stirrer.
A hand uses gold tongs to place an ice cube into a textured, clear glass on a white surface.

Stir gently to combine your ingredients. Then, add ice to your rocks glass *.

A drink is being poured from a copper shaker with a strainer into a textured glass on a white surface.
Droplets falling from a bottle into a textured glass filled with an amber-colored liquid against a white background.

Pour the whiskey honey mixture over the ice and add in your bitters.

A hand holds a lemon twist over a textured glass filled with an amber-colored drink on a white surface.
Hand garnishing a honeycomb-textured glass of iced beverage with a sprig, alongside two similar glasses, on a white surface.

Finally, garnish your drink with a piece of lemon zest and a sprig of thyme. Sit back, sip and savor!

How to use Honey Syrup

Honey syrup is a versatile sweetener that can be used anywhere honey sounds good, or even as a substitute for regular simple syrup. You can use it so many ways:

Three textured glasses with honey-colored liquid, garnished with lemon slices and sprigs of thyme, on a light surface. A small honey jar with a dipper is in the background.

Food pairings

I’m all about balance. Give me a sweeter sipper and I’ll opt for something salty or savory on the menu!

For this Honey Old-Fashioned, homemade pita chips and whipped feta dip would be a great pairing. You also can’t go wrong with homemade pizza — who doesn’t love a pizza fresh from the oven with all their favorite toppings?! (I always top mine with hot honey * anyway…)

Serve up iced lemon pound cake or deliciously gooey lemon bars for dessert to highlight the lemon zest in the drink. Yum!

Three textured glass cups filled with a golden drink garnished with herbs; a honey jar and a golden spoon are nearby on a white surface.

FAQ

Can you use honey instead of simple syrup in cocktails?

Yes! Honey is a great option to provide a touch of sweetness in cocktails. I do caution that using straight honey can cause it to seize up and become solid when it meets cold drinks, so I prefer to make a honey syrup that combines seamlessly into your drinks.

Is honey good with bourbon?

Since honey takes on the flavor of flowers, it provides a sweet, floral contrast to the notes of vanilla and oak that are common in bourbon.

More Old-Fashioned recipes

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A textured glass filled with an orange beverage, garnished with a sprig of thyme. Two similar glasses are blurred in the background.

Honey Old-Fashioned

Yield: 1 cocktail
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Sip on a smooth Honey Old-Fashioned, a springtime twist on the classic recipe. This softly sweet, floral sipper is oh so refreshing!
5 from 1 vote
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ingredients

Honey Syrup

  • ¼ cup honey
  • ¼ cup warm water

Honey Old-Fashioned

instructions

Honey Syrup

  • Add water to a saucepan over medium heat.
  • Add the honey.
  • Stir together until the honey is fully dissolved, about 5 minutes.
  • Let cool before using. Store in an airtight container such as a jar for up to one month.

Honey Old-Fashioned

  • In a mixing glass with ice cubes, combine whiskey and honey syrup.
  • Use a bar spoon to gently stir the mixture until chilled.
  • Strain into a rocks glass * with a large ice cube. Add a few dashes of lavender bitters *.
  • Garnish with a piece of lemon zest.

notes

If you don’t have lavender bitters on-hand, use whatever you do have. Orange or aromatic would work well with the honey.
Replace the bourbon and bitters with zero-proof options for a non-alcoholic drink.

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nutrition information

Yield: 1 cocktail

amount per serving:

Serving: 2.5ounces Calories: 163kcal Carbohydrates: 7g Protein: 0.1g Fat: 0.04g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g Sodium: 5mg Potassium: 21mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 6g Vitamin A: 51IU Vitamin C: 9mg Calcium: 13mg Iron: 1mg
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About Susannah

Susannah Brinkley Henry is the founder of Feast + West, a cocktail blog featuring creative, budget-friendly drinks and hosting ideas. A graphic designer with bartending school training, she shares cocktails, mocktails, appetizers and desserts for easy, stylish entertaining. Her work has been featured by Southern Living, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post and Mashable, and she was a finalist in the Saveur Blog Awards. Susannah is also a publisher on MSN and has appeared on local news segments sharing seasonal drinks. She lives in Charlotte, N.C., where she brings Southern charm and global inspiration to every pour. Read more.

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