Sweet Tea Old Fashioned Cocktail

The sweet tea old fashioned is a fun mashup to two southern classics made with the classic Kentucky whiskey cocktail ingredients and southern sweet tea flavor!

And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my chai spice old fashioned or smoked cinnamon old fashioned, too!

Easy to Make - This cocktail is true to the process of making an old fashioned with no extra steps or fancy technique required--very beginner friendly! And I've even included suggestions for common kitchen tools you can use in place of cocktail tools, if needed.

Sweet Tea Flavor - The secret is my sweet tea simple syrup that adds concentrated taste to the drink for a truly southern flavor profile.

I actually have a gang of amazing sweet tea cocktails just waiting for your attention. After this old fashioned, you should start with the sweet tea mint julep then move on to the sweet tea margarita or sweet tea mojito. And don't forget the sweet tea martini--super classy!

Bourbon Whiskey or Rye Whiskey are the traditional expressions used to make an old fashioned cocktail and I typically use bourbon. For the best taste, use a good quality whiskey you would enjoy sipping neat.

Angostura Bitters add dimensions to the drink. Think of it as the seasoning or finishing touch--don't skip it!

Sweet Tea Simple Syrup takes the place of plain simple syrup or sugar cube in this black tea simple syrup cocktail and adds the flavor. I recommend using my homemade sweet tea syrup for the best results.

Lemon takes the place of orange in this old fashioned riff and you will need an actual lemon not just lemon juice since we're using the lemon peel and oil here.

Citrus - You can certainly swap in orange for lemon here or even lime if that's what is available and the taste will be similar.

Cherry Garnish - The cousin cocktail to the old fashioned, which is a Manhattan, is traditionally served with a brandied cocktail cherry or maraschino cherry or even a luxardo cherry. And many people add these to old fashioneds, too.

Ice - Since the old fashioned drink is meant to be sipped slow and savored, it's served over a large chunk or sphere of ice, which will melt very slowly and not dilute the drink. But you can use regular ice cubes or whatever else you have available. Just note that they will melt more quickly!

How to Make a Sweet Tea Old Fashioned from Scratch

Step One: Stir the sweet tea syrup and bitters together.

Step Two: Add ice and bourbon then stir until mixture is nice and chilled.

Pro Tip #1: For the first two steps, you can use a cocktail mixing glass and bar spoon OR a highball glass and a regular table spoon or butter knife (with a gentle hand).

Pro Tip #2: Instead of measuring the liquor and syrup with a jigger, you could use a standard size shot glass, which holds about the same volume of liquid as the large end of the jigger.

Step Three: Strain the liquid into a rocks glass over fresh ice.

Step Four: Cut off a strip of lemon peel and squeeze it over top of the drink to express the lemon oil.

Pro Tip #3: I use a hawthorne strainer or julep strainer for this recipe but a mesh strainer also works well. You can also use another glass to cover all but a sliver of the mixing glass as you pour so that just the liquid comes out.