High West Wednesdays: Campfire Old Fashioned

A smokey twist on a classic recipe, inspired by camping

Jump to the recipe.

It’s like your favorite fleece the morning after a bonfire. It calls to mind crackling twigs, the pops of embers snapping in two. It feels like the warm glow of huddling under a camp blanket and hovering chilled fingers as close to the flames as you dare. Our next adventure cocktail gets its inspiration from nights spent under the stars and the most memorable stories told around the fire.

What we love about this recipe is how easy it is to make. It’s your standard Old Fashioned, so you don’t need a full home-bar to kindle this cocktail. If you’re already bringing a bottle of whiskey, you might as well bring along some citrus and your mini bottle of bitters, too. Just make sure to add a vegetable peeler or utility knife and a few rocks-glass sized tumblers to your camping checklist!

Now as far as the whiskey goes, this isn’t the time to skimp or substitute. Campfire—High West’s aptly named bourbon, rye, and Scotch blend—balances sweet, spicy, and smokey notes, paired with a stone fruit component that’s indescribably delicious in cocktails. We mean it—this stuff harmonizes with simple syrup and bitters the way campfire songs never seem to do in real life. The result? A crystalline amber slow-sipper that pairs perfectly with flannel, s’mores, and just one more log on the fire.

Ingredients

For the simple syrup (makes 6–12 drinks):
¼ cup Demerara sugar or sugar in the raw
¼ cup hot water

For the cocktail (makes one):
1.5 oz High West Campfire
1 oz High West Bourbon
2 tsp Demerara simple syrup
2–3 dashes Angostura bitters
Orange & lemon peel

Instructions

Prepare the simple syrup.

1. Combine equal parts Demerara sugar and hot water.
2. Stir until sugar has fully dissolved.
3. Pour into a small bottle or jar and cool before using. Lasts for about three weeks when stored in the fridge.

Make the Old Fashioned.

1. With a vegetable peeler—or a utility knife, if you’re bartending at camp—peel a long, wide strip of orange peel, avoiding the bitter white pith. Repeat with a lemon.
2. Add Campfire, Bourbon, simple syrup, and bitters to a rocks glass.
3. Add ice—preferably a single 1-inch-by-1-inch cube or jumbo ice ball.
4. Swiftly stir. You’re looking for slight dilution and a silky texture.
5. Express the orange and lemon oils by pinching them pith-side up above the cocktail. Rub the peel around the rim of your glass, twist, and place it on top of the drink.

Sometimes we whip up this Campfire Old Fashioned around the actual campfire. And sometimes we make it in the midst of normal life, just to remember the good times spent outdoors with friends. We hope you love this recipe from High West as much as we do. Always remember to douse your fire before hiding from the cold in your tent, and, of course, enjoy responsibly.

Words by Alli Wright, who joined the Backcountry Herd in 2022. A climber, trail runner, and backcountry skier, she can be found in a hammock with a book or planning a crafternoon when she’s not chasing vert. 

Recipe designed by Holly Booth, High West’s Lead Bartender. While she’s primarily a whiskey drinker, she loves their Mountain Gin, too.

Published November 3, 2025.

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