Recipe: Spiced bourbon, orange and stout cocktail

Stout, bourbon and orange liqueur combine for a welcoming spring cocktail. Photo / Olivia Moore- That Green Olive

It’s (finally) spring! Let’s celebrate its arrival with a cosy cocktail, featuring some of the chilly season’s best flavours.

I’ve been working with Lakeman over the past few months to create a special stout named ‘Drought Breaker’ - a fun collaboration between a local foodie and an award-winning brewer.

I was given creative freedom to combine flavours I thought would make an epic stout; and after a lot of testing (and tasting), we landed on orange, cardamom and bourbon.

It’s a seriously luxurious flavour combination, with the cosiness of cardamom and brightness of orange.

The stout launched last week - and you can now find it on Lakeman’s website, or on tap at Jimmy Coop’s.

So, amid the excitement of the new stout and the new season, here’s a beautiful cocktail recipe you can make at home.

I used the Drought Breaker stout here, which of course features the orange, bourbon and cardamom used in the cocktail.

You can use any stout if you prefer. Cheers to spring!

Visit Olivia’s website for more recipes: www.thatgreenolive.com.

Ingredients

Serves one

Cardamom vanilla syrup

• ½ cup sugar
• 8 cardamom pods
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract

Cocktail

• 30ml orange liqueur
• 30ml Bourbon
• 10ml cardamom syrup
• 60ml stout (I used Lakeman’s Drought Breaker)

Method

1. To make the syrup: set a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Crush the cardamom pods and remove the seeds.
3. Add the seeds and husks to the pan and toast for three to four minutes, stirring often, until fragrant.
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, before adding sugar and ½ cup water. Stir to combine, and return pan to a medium-low heat.
5. Bring to a gentle bubble and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, for 15 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup is fragrant.
6. Remove from heat and stir through vanilla.
7. Strain the syrup, discarding the cardamom. Allow to cool completely - this is your cardamom syrup.
8. When ready to serve, combine all ingredients in a chilled glass and stir gently. Garnish with orange zest and dried orange if desired. Serve immediately.