Orange-Ginger Whisky Cocktail

Nothing says “kick back and relax” quite like a delicious cocktail in your hand - bonus points for sharing with your friends! Whisky is a great drink on its own, but wait until you try this jazzed up version. It has a citrus kick and a bit of spice that works like magic with the smooth whisky, and a little bit of fizz from the ginger beer brings the whole mix to life!

Serves

6 servings

PREP TIME

5 minutes + 30 minutes cooling time

COOK TIME

5 minutes

INGREDIENTS

⅓ cup (72 g) Redpath® Dark Brown Sugar, packed
¼ cup (60 ml) water
2 inches (26 g) fresh ginger, sliced
1 tsp (2 g) black peppercorns
8 strips of orange zest
¼ cup + 2 tbsp (90 ml) orange juice
1 cup (250 ml) Canadian whisky
½ cup (125 ml) ginger beer

Garnish (optional):

Orange zest
Orange slices
Fresh ginger slices
Candied ginger

Dark Brown Sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Steps of making ginger whiskey cocktail

For the ginger syrup:

In a small pot over medium heat, combine the Redpath® Dark Brown Sugar with the water, sliced ginger, and peppercorns. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to low and simmer; 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and allow ginger and peppercorns to infuse into the syrup. Cool completely; 30 minutes. Strain cooled syrup into a measuring cup (or airtight container, if prepping a few days in advance). Discard peppercorns.

Add the strips of orange zest to the bottom of a small pitcher. Add in the ginger syrup and orange juice. With a muddler or a spoon, muddle the orange peel with the rest of the ingredients; about 1 minute.

Add in the whisky and some ice. Stir to combine. Just before serving, top off with ginger beer.

Decorate glasses with desired garnish.

CHEF'S TIPS

*Use a vegetable peeler to zest the peel from an orange.

*Redpath® Golden Yellow and Redpath® Simply Raw™ turbinado sugar can be used in place of the Redpath® Dark Brown Sugar

*The ginger syrup can be made a few days in advance. After straining, place cooled syrup into an airtight container or jar and place into fridge until needed.

*Ginger slices used in the syrup can be kept and used as a garnish for the drink or tossed into smoothies for a spicy kick.

*If a less spicy drink is desired, ginger ale, club soda, or sparkling water can be used instead of the ginger beer.

*Whisky or whiskey from any country can be substituted for the Canadian whisky.

*Be creative and experiment with different alcohols by replacing the whisky with dark or light rum, vodka, or gin.