Blood orange ricotta doughnut dusted with bitters-scented sugar and filled with Rittenhouse Rye-infused dark chocolate ganache
The Old Fashioned is, as its name suggests, a seriously classic cocktail. Minimal in its construction, a good Old Fashioned is comprised of rye whiskey, sugar, bitters, and a twist of orange peel and is then stirred along with a few chunks of ice. There are no maraschino cherries here, so don't let anyone try and put one in your drink when you order one of these! And bourbon is often used, but rye is the authentic spirit. It's a simple drink, but, as with anything, if you use the best ingredients, you'll be rewarded with something delicious.
Because I love Old Fashioneds (and bourbon and whiskey), I decided to transform them into a dessert. I had planned to make a filled shortbread cookie, but my think tank (aka my husband) came up with the idea of a filled doughnut, and here we are.
To give this treat an Italian slant, I made ricotta doughnuts and flavored them with blood orange zest. Another Italian twist is the flavoring of the sugar coating the doughnuts. Instead of using Angostura bitters, I went the route of Italian Amari (which encompasses a wide array of bitter, herb-based spirits ranging from Averna to Ramazzotti) and created a spice blend evocative of the flavors of those bitters, which was then mixed with the sugar used to dust the doughnuts. Last, but most certainly not least, the doughnuts are filled with a dark chocolate ganache infused with rich, peppery Rittenhouse Rye. In combination, all these elements taste just like a classic Old Fashioned cocktail, but in doughnut form.
So there you have it. The Italian Old Fashioned Doughnut. I hope you love it as much as I do!
