Take Whiskey Cocktails To New Heights By Adding Caramelized Oranges

Oranges play well with most drams, which is why you'll find a twist of its citrus peel in the one of the world's most famous classic cocktails — an old fashioned. The drink was also voted the most popular whiskey cocktail in a Mashed poll. Caramelizing the citrus fruit can elevate the much-loved combination further, adding complexity and building parallels between the whiskey's oak and peaty notes with the deep bittersweet, slightly burnt ones of caramelized sugar. The orange's sweet and citrus flavors also become muted and sophisticated — a better match for whiskey, especially if you're using a sweeter variety of the fruit. Remember, there is a significant difference between candying and caramelizing. The former keeps things predominantly sweet while the later infuses mildly savory and bitter notes (including that characteristic char) that complement whiskey quite well.

There are a few ways to incorporate caramelized orange into cocktails depending on how intense you want the flavor to be. Muddling it with the spirit before building the cocktail extracts the caramelized sugars, juice, and zest into the drink. For a more subtle twist, simply use a caramelized slice as garnish and build a flavor bridge to reinforce the citrus fruit's notes. Do this by incorporating some orange in the cocktail by either adding juice, an orange liqueur like triple sec or Grand Marnier (in, say, a Grand Old Fashioned or Dubliner), or even using something like Jameson's orange whiskey as a base spirit.

Caramelizing oranges is a straightforward affair and all you need is the fruit, sugar, and a heat source. You can use a pan and stovetop to slowly cook the slices in sugar until browned. This method has the added advantage of letting you make a quick caramelized orange infusion to use in cocktails. For example, adding black tea leaves and water to the pan once the sugar has caramelized results in a delicious infusion for black tea whiskey coolers that incorporate subtle notes of burnt orange and tea to complement the whiskey.

You can also use a broiler or your home barbecue setup. Just remember to clean the grate and cover it with a thin laver of neutral oil to prevent the citrus from sticking to your grill. The air fryer also works rather well with certain fruits, including oranges that require caramelization. Finally, if you have a kitchen blowtorch handy, you can simply top orange slices with sugar and brûlée them for a quick cocktail garnish.

When caramelizing, remember that the darker the sugar gets, the more intense the "burnt" flavor. Be careful not to burn the sugar to avoid going too deep into bitter territory. If you simply want to use them as a garnish for mild flavor and aroma, use thinner slices. You can also delve deeper into flavor combination possibilities by trying various types of sugar and orange. Caramelized brown sugar complements bourbon rather well. And, for a more tart citrus flavor, try caramelizing blood oranges which are more acidic and also look visually dramatic as a cocktail garnish.