Peppermint Chocolate Old Fashioned

I always make my own Peppermint Schnapps around the holidays. It’s easy to make and it’s a big crowd pleaser, especially when hot chocolate is involved. Hot chocolate is one of the only places that peppermint schnapps ends up – but it’s not the only option for using up the minty liqueur, although you do need to think a little outside of the box. In this case, I looked away from the box of hot chocolate mix and straight to a bottle of Fee Bros. Aztec Chocolate Bitters. These bitters deliver a very concentrated chocolate flavor that combines perfectly with peppermint and opens up all sorts of cocktail options, like this unusual – but delicious – Peppermint Hot Chocolate Old Fashioned.

This is a fantastic holiday cocktail because it really is reminiscent of a spiked hot chocolate, but with a whiskey base instead of a dairy one. You can make this old fashioned with a good bourbon, but I think that a spicy rye works the best in this drink. The oaky notes of the rye work really well with the spice from the bitters, and the mint from the schnapps adds a refreshing edge without dominating the other flavors.

Glassware: Old Fashioned Glass
Method: Build

Ingredients
2 oz. Rye Whiskey
2 tsp Peppermint Schnapps
2 Dashes of Aztec Chocolate Bitters

Combine all ingredients in old-fashioned glass. Add ice and stir to combine.