3 holiday cocktail recipes with Bradstreet Neighborhood Craftshouse

Your recipe for holiday cheer: the maple-whiskey “oat fashioned” // Photo by Kevin Kramer, The Growler

Maple Whiskey Oat Fashioned

“Steeping oats in the bourbon gives it a viscous feeling,” Ryan explains. “It binds all the ingredients together, especially since you’re using ground cinnamon. And the graham cracker garnish really boosts the flavor of the oats. It tastes like a Teddy Graham.”

This garnish isn’t superfluous—it gives the drink a fun texture, a sweet finish, and a contrasting flavor to the heavy bourbon and maple. I freely admit to licking the side of the glass clean.

Garnish Ingredients
Graham crackers, crushed into a fine powder
Ground cinnamon
White sugar

Garnish Method
Mix 3 parts powdered graham cracker, 1 part cinnamon, and 1 part sugar in on plate. Wet the rim and one side of a lowball glass and press it into the garnish, leaving a large swath of graham dust adhered to the side.

Photo by Kevin Kramer, The Growler

Drink Ingredients
2 ounces oat-infused Bulleit bourbon*
1/4 to 1/2 ounce maple syrup (to taste)
dash ground cinnamon
dash Angostura Bitters

Drink Method
Stir all ingredients with well with ice until the glass begins condensing. Strain into the prepared lowball glass with one large cube.

*Oat Whiskey: Steep 1 liter of Bulleit bourbon with 1 cup of oats for 1 hour. Strain bourbon through a mesh sieve and reserve. (Optional: Give the bourbon-soaked oats to the best baker in the family and tell them to make a berry crumble.)