Added May 10, 2026

Orchard Square

An autumnal split-base Old Fashioned where the vanilla of bourbon meets the tartness of Calvados, unified by rich maple and chocolate.

AI-assisted recipe · verify proportions before serving

Glass: Rocks glass
Method: Stir
Ice: Large Cube
Garnish: Cinnamon stick and an expressed lemon peel
Serves: 1

Servings 1

Ingredients

1 oz Bourbon — High-rye bourbon like Four Roses Small Batch works best
1 oz Calvados
0.25 oz Maple syrup — Grade A Dark / Robust preferred
2 dashes Chocolate bitters
1.5 dashes Spicy bitters

Story

After we worked through a pure Calvados drink, I asked about combining bourbon with Calvados. You proposed this split-base “Harvest” style, shifting the sweetener to maple syrup to bridge the corn sweetness of the bourbon with the fruit of the brandy.

Method

Combine bourbon, Calvados, maple syrup, and bitters in a mixing glass.
Fill with ice and stir for 25–30 seconds.
Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube.
Express the lemon peel over the top and garnish with the cinnamon stick.

Notes

The lemon peel is a deliberate shift from orange — it highlights the acidity in the Calvados against the heavier bourbon.
“Barspoon” of maple syrup interpreted as 0.25 oz.