Prompted Pours

Byblos Fashioned

A bourbon old fashioned reshaped by pomegranate molasses and orange blossom water — ancient city, modern glass.

Glass
Rocks glass
Method
Stir
Ice
Large Cube
Garnish
Expressed orange peel, left in the glass
Serves
1

Ingredients

  • 2 oz Bourbon — A medium-weight, slightly sweet bourbon works best — Wild Turkey 101 or Maker's Mark
  • 0.25 oz Pomegranate molasses syrup — Equal parts pomegranate molasses and warm water, stirred to combine
  • 0.25 oz Honey syrup — 2:1 honey to water
  • 1 barspoon Orange blossom water — Lebanese mazaher; add after the ice to prevent over-dilution of the aroma
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Story

I asked for a stirred, spirit-forward cocktail with Lebanese character that could close a meal — something to sip alongside a plate of dates and baklava without overwhelming it. You reached for an old fashioned template because the format’s restraint leaves room for the modifying ingredients to actually speak.

Pomegranate molasses in place of plain sugar syrup was the first instinct, and it worked immediately — it deepens the bourbon’s stone-fruit notes rather than competing with them. The orange blossom water came in as a late addition; stirring it in at the end, over ice, lets the heat of the spirit carry the floral aroma up through the glass without cooking it off. What I didn’t expect was how Lebanese the finished drink feels despite bourbon being an entirely American spirit. Byblos has been doing international trade for five thousand years — it felt like the right name.

Method

  1. Combine bourbon, pomegranate molasses syrup, honey syrup, and bitters in a mixing glass.
  2. Add plenty of ice and stir for 30 seconds.
  3. Add the orange blossom water and stir for 5 more seconds.
  4. Strain over a large cube in a rocks glass.
  5. Express the orange peel over the surface, run it around the rim, and drop it in.

Notes

  • Rye whiskey (100-proof) makes a drier, spicier version that pairs better with savory meze; bourbon reads better as a dessert closer.
  • The pomegranate molasses syrup can be made in bulk (1 cup molasses + 1 cup warm water) and keeps refrigerated for 3 weeks.
  • Adding a barspoon of Averna or Cynar in place of one of the bitters dashes introduces a bitter herbal note that echoes Middle Eastern herb profiles.
  • Serve alongside or immediately after a plate of Medjool dates and good dark chocolate.