Fluffernutter Old Fashioneds: The Ultimate Comfort Cocktail

June 1, 2019

I Made This Post In Partnership With THE NATIONAL PEANUT BOARD. Opinions, Pics, And Recipes Are Mine.

Of all the foods you found in your lunchbox as a kid, few could beat the fluffernutter. This delicacy expertly combined creamy peanut butter with foamy marshmallow fluff, both slathered on soft white bread. It was the ultimate childhood comfort food. Sadly, as we grew older, we abandoned the simple joy of the fluffernutter. So here’s a cocktail that serves as an ode to this childhood fave. Because whether it’s in sandwich or cocktail form, peanut butter and marshmallow are just really, really awesome together. Now go mix one up.

The essential elements of a fluffernutter

Despite its being inspired by a playful and easy-to-make sandwich, this isn’t a drink to make when you’re feeling lazy. However, it is 100% worth the effort. You’ll need peanut butter infused bourbon, marshmallow syrup, vanilla bitters, and a fluffernutter garnish. Now here are the step-by-step instructions for creating this Fluffernutter Old Fashioned.

How to Make Peanut-Washed Bourbon

When I started the R&D for this cocktail, I made two different versions of peanut-washed bourbon: one I made with peanuts, the other with peanut butter. The results were not close. The peanut version annihilated the peanut butter one: not only was the flavor more intense and satisfying, but it was also much easier to make.

In order to create peanut-washed bourbon, add one cup of peanuts to a cup of bourbon. Next, seal it in an airtight container and set it aside for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, strain out the peanuts and reseal the container. Then, place the container in the freezer so that the fats rise to the top and freeze into solids while the alcohol stays in liquid form. This should take a minimum of eight hours.

Frozen peanut oil separating from the bourbon.

Once the fats have frozen and solidified, strain them out with cheese cloth (or a very fine mesh tea strainer). While the peanuts and oil have been removed, strong peanut flavor should remain. Finally, set the infused bourbon aside until the marshmallow syrup is ready to use.

How to Make Marshmallow Syrup

No matter how much we love peanut butter, a fluffernutter isn’t a fluffernutter without its marshmallow. And the marshmallow in this fluffernutter-in-cocktail-form comes in a syrup.

Begin by making a simple syrup. To do this, start boiling 1 cup of water. Next, gradually stir in 1 cup of sugar on medium-low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Here’s where things get a bit tricky. Start stirring 1.5 cups of mini-marshmallows into the syrup and watch them begin to melt, expand, and foam. Continue stirring for approximately 15 minutes. After the marshmallows go through a phase where they gain volume, the foam level should start to eventually contract. Once the foam has reduced to a thinner layer, begin skimming it off the top of the syrup (you can discard the foam). Here’s what the unwanted foam looks like:

After the foam has all been skimmed away, a pale yellow liquid should be left in the pot. This is the marshmallow syrup. Remove it from the heat and allow it to cool before placing in an airtight container and refrigerating it.

Now you’re finally ready to start assembling your Fluffernutter Old Fashioned.

How to Mix Up Your Fluffernutter Old Fashioned

Begin by adding 2.5 oz of peanut-washed bourbon, .5 oz of marshmallow syrup, and 3 dashes of vanilla bitters to a mixing glass. Second, fill the glass 3/4 full of ice and then stir it 35 times before straining it into a glass containing one large clear cube. Garnish it with a mini fluffernutter and enjoy.