I made these Old Fashioned cocktails over the summer with fresh cherries and clementine. The drink, from muddling the cherries with the sugar and clementine, turned a lovely ruby color and was punch-like from the sweet bing cherries that I used.
It reminded me a lot of bottled fruit punch, actually—but in a good way.
Wigle Whiskey PA Straight Rye from Pittsburgh, PA, or another rye whiskey would be a good choice here to cut through the sweetness, but I used Makers Mark, which is always my favorite.
Purists may turn up their nose at such a fruit-forward take on the Old Fashioned, but if you’re not normally a bourbon drinker, or just looking for something delicious, try it. For extra flavor and some fizz, I like to top my drinks off with lemon or orange seltzer water. You can also use plain seltzer or club soda. 
I also made sure to double-strain this cocktail, which is good practice to remove ice chips after shaking, or parts of fruit and other ingredients that have been muddled. I don’t always do this—sometimes, I’m lazy—but in this case it makes a huge difference.
To do this, use a cocktail strainer, like the one with the spring on the back of it (this is common in a lot of home bars, purchased as part of most bar tool sets), set on top of your pint mixing glass or cocktail shaker, and strain it into a finer, mesh sieve.
A summertime-ready recipe for the classic Old Fashioned.
- 4 oz bourbon or whiskey such as Makers Mark
- ½ clementine peeled and seeded
- ¼ cup fresh cherries about 4-5 cherries, pitted and stems removed
- ½ lemon sliced and pitted
- ½ tbsp white sugar
- Large ice cubes for serving
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In a large cocktail shaker, add cherries, 2 slices lemon, clementine, and sugar. Muddle until sugar dissolves and the fruit has given up its juices.
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Fill cup or shaker with ice and add bourbon, stirring well (don't shake) until the outside of the shaker or glass is very cold.
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Add a large block of ice or a few cubes to two highball glasses. Double-strain the cocktail into glasses. Garnish with a cherry and a lemon slice, and serve immediately.
