One of the fruits that embodies the fall and winter for me are persimmons. I love their odd crunchy texture and the spiced flavor notes. When I saw this Spiced Persimmon Maple Old Fashioned from Aida Mollenkamp, I couldn't wait to try it out! Usually, when I drink Old Fashioneds, I go pretty simple and light on the fruit. But when it's highlighting a fun and seasonal fruit, I'll make an exception. Instead of a Fuyu Persimmon, I used Hachiya because it's a little softer and easier to muddle. I also used a lot less maple syrup - 1 Tablespoon instead of 2 or 3. For the orange bitters, I slipped in my homemade Bitter Revenge Bloody Sweet Blood Orange & Rosemary bitters to amp up that holiday spice. With the maple syrup and cinnamon, it's the epitome of season, and a great post-Thanksgiving cocktail to extend the celebration!

Spiced Persimmon Maple Old Fashioned
Ingredients:

• 1/4 ripe Hachiya persimmon, diced into small pieces
• Orange wedge with rind, about 1/8 of an orange
• 1 Tbs maple syrup
• 2 oz rye whiskey (I used Bulleit)
• 4 dashes orange bitters
• Cinnamon stick

- Add the persimmon, orange and maple syrup into an Old Fashioned glass and muddle, lightly bruising the orange.
- Add a few ice cubes, whiskey and orange bitters.
- Freshly grate in some cinnamon.
- Stir with the cinnamon stick until the drink is chilled.