Miso Caramel Old Fashioned

Before you start

This is an original build that pairs bourbon with a salty, savory caramel syrup. Caramel adds bitter-sweet depth, and a small amount of white miso adds salt and umami that make the bourbon taste rounder and the caramel less sugary. The effect is similar to salted caramel, with a gentle savory echo.

The syrup is where the work happens. Cook the sugar until it is a deep amber, not merely golden, so it carries real bitterness to offset the sweetness. Add the miso off the heat at the end; boiling it dulls its aroma. Then build the drink like any old fashioned: a small measure of syrup, bitters, lots of stirring and an orange peel to brighten it.

Ingredients

• Miso caramel syrup100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) water — for cooking the sugar
• 100 ml (⅓ cup plus 1 tbsp) hot water — to loosen the caramel
• 15 g (1 tbsp) white (shiro) miso
• Cocktail60 ml (2 oz) bourbon
• 10 ml (2 tsp) miso caramel syrup
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 dash orange bitters — optional
• 1 large ice cube
• 1 wide strip orange peel

Method

1. Put the sugar and 30 ml water in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Swirl the pan, without stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
2. Boil until the syrup turns deep amber and smells toasty, about 8 to 10 minutes; about 175°C (350°F) if you use a thermometer. Watch closely in the last minute, because it can burn quickly.
3. Take the pan off the heat. Stand back and slowly pour in the 100 ml hot water; it will spit and steam hard. Stir with the spatula until any hardened caramel melts back in, returning the pan to low heat briefly if needed.
4. Cool for 5 minutes, then whisk in the miso until smooth. Strain through a fine strainer into a jar and let it cool fully, about 30 minutes.
5. For the drink, stir the bourbon, 10 ml syrup and bitters over plenty of ice in a mixing glass for 20 to 25 seconds.
6. Strain over a large cube in a rocks glass, express the orange peel over the top and drop it in.

Tips for success

• Use white or yellow miso. Red miso is saltier and more intense and can dominate the drink.
• Pour the hot water in slowly, at arm's length. Molten caramel is far hotter than boiling water.
• Taste the syrup on a spoon once cool. It should be sweet first, with a mild salty finish.

Substitutions

Bourbon

Japanese whisky gives a lighter, fruit-forward drink. Aged rum pushes it toward a dessert-like sipper.

White miso

A good pinch of flaky salt gives the salted caramel effect without the umami depth.

Angostura bitters

Chocolate or walnut bitters add more dessert notes that suit the caramel.

Troubleshooting

The syrup tastes burnt and acrid

The caramel went past amber into dark brown. Start again and take it off the heat a little earlier.

The syrup set hard in the jar

It was cooked too far or too little water was added. Warm it gently with 15 ml more water and stir until fluid.

The drink tastes salty

Reduce the syrup to 7 ml or use a milder white miso next time.

Storage

Keep the miso caramel syrup in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. It may thicken when cold; let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before measuring. Discard it if it smells off or shows mold.

Safety notes

Contains 60 ml of bourbon, about 1.4 to 1.5 U.S. standard drinks depending on proof (one standard drink is about 14 g of pure alcohol). Miso contains soy, a common allergen. Caramel causes severe burns; keep children away from the stove. Serve only to adults of legal drinking age, and do not drink and drive.