The First Harvest – An Apple & Honey Old Fashioned
A honey old fashioned to celebrate the start of harvest season. With bourbon, apple, honey syrup, and finished with lavender bitters, the First Harvest Old fashioned is a sip of summer’s bright and sweet abundance.
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This honey old fashioned is the first recipe I ever posted on this blog back in 2018. At the time, I was working behind the bar in Oakland, California and serving my intentionally-crafted drinks as weekend specials. I recently revisited this recipe in time for harvest season and it’s just as delicious now as it was then. I hope you enjoy! – Julia
Kick Off Harvest Season with An Old Fashioned
Celebrate the start of harvest season with this honey, lavender, and apple old fashioned. Straight forward and balanced, every sip of this harvest drink is reminiscent of bright and abundant summer days.
The first of August kicks off the harvest season with a celebration known as Lammas (also known as Lughnasadh) on the Wheel of the Year. All the seeds that were sown back in spring are finally in the first wave of harvest (both literally and metaphorically). Fields, once barren, now glow gold with wheat and grain. In our personal lives, we begin to see the signs that our hard work is paying off and enjoy the late evening sunsets. Success (and autumn) is on its way.
The first harvest is a great time to pause and reflect on the past year—and to enjoy a nice, hard-earned libation! Inspired by the occasion, I crafted this First Harvest Honey Old Fashioned. Just a few ingredients and whipped up in minutes, it’s an easy seasonal sip.
If you’re look for other harvest recipes, check out my blog on Lammas/Lughnasadh drinks here. For now, let’s get into what you will need for this one.
Ingredients
When I first made this recipe behind the bar in 2018, I had access to more ingredients than the average home. So, I crafted two versions: a clean, bright 4-ingredient version and a more advanced one with two additional ingredients for the cocktail enthusiast. Both are beautiful in their own right. Here is what you will need for the base version:
- Bourbon or Rye Whiskey – Since Lammas is Saxon for “loaf-mass”, I thought that a grain-based spirit like whiskey bourbon was a perfect choice for a harvest drink (hence the old fashioned). I also tried it recently with rye whiskey and it worked beautifully—the rye really compliments the lavender and high summer notes of the honey old fashioned.
- Apple Liqueur – Given that apple is one of the key ingredients of any harvest season, I complimented the bourbon and bitters with a splash of Calvados for an apple old fashioned. I also recently used apple brandy and it tasted just as delicious. I have many other apple brandy recipes on the blog, so it is definitely worth the purchase.
- Honey Syrup – Summertime is the season of the bees, so what better to sweeten up our old fashioned with honey? Honey simple syrup is easy to make: mix equal parts honey to hot water. This makes it mixable, otherwise it will not blend well. Just make sure to measure the water and honey separately before mixing them together.
- Lavender Bitters – Lavender fields are in their prime in the summer. Lavender bitters give this honey and apple old fashioned a subtle, floral note. My current favorite is All the Bitter for their wonderful quality and versatility as an alcohol-free option I can use in both my cocktails and nonalcoholic mocktails. Use my code WCC for 10% off.
Bartender’s Edition
If you are a cocktail enthusiast, you may have access to these additional ingredients to enjoy a more advanced version with added depth. But if not, don’t sweat—the version above is clean, simple, and beautiful as-is. Here are the additional options:
- 1/4 ounce favorite sweet amaro of your choice
- 2 dashes of New Orleans bitters (I also used All The Bitter for this)
Chamomile-Hazelnut Bourbon Infusion
At the time, I also crafted a chamomile-hazelnut infusion for a layered harvest drink. Many herbs are available at this time, chamomile, lavender, and hawthorn to name a few. Since August is the Celtic month of Hazel, I chose to throw some hazelnuts and chamomile into bourbon and let them sit for a while. A few days later, just strain out the herbs and you have infused whiskey.
I later transferred the exact infusion recipe to my book in 2020, which you can get here. But it’s not necessary for this honey old fashioned.
Recipe
First Harvest Honey Old Fashioned
Ingredients
Method
- In an old fashioned glass, add your bourbon, apple liqueur, honey syrup, and bitters.
- Add a large cub and stir.
- Spritz with an orange peel, then twist it and garnish upon the edge of the glass.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Frequently Asked Questions
You can opt for the traditional angostura if that’s what you have on hand. I do really recommend the lavender bitters when you’re ready—they are some of my favorite and my fastest moving bitters in my home bar. You can use my code WCC for 10% off your order.
Likewise to the lavender bitters, apple brandy is just one of my personal favorites, especially as we enter harvest season. It works well in everything, from sangrias to sours. That being said, you can also swap for a liqueur of your choice. I oftentimes use hazelnut liqueur in my harvest drink recipe (you can check out my maple hazelnut Old fashioned here). You might also decide to muddle in fresh apple instead.
Have a question you don’t see here? Comment below so I can help you!
A Moment in Time
Harvest season remind us of the passage of time (there’s a reason it coincides with remembering the dead). In such spirit, it’s worthwhile to take a look back at the past. In fact, this was one of the first blogs I posted on this site back in 2018! Let me share a snippet in time with you:
