What is the mystery ingredient that will elevate any apple cocktail? Apple brandy with its fresher, more intense apple taste.
The scent of fragrant, crisp apples and change in temperature makes you want to wrap up in your favourite plaid sweater and cozy scarf. While hard cider has skyrocketed in popularity over the past few years, apple brandy remains niche. So what exactly is it? Think of apple brandy as essentially barrel-aged apple wine. While French calvados tends to be aged for longer, American apple brandy bears many of the same characteristics as bourbon. Try these two cocktails, and you can practically hear the leaves crunching below your feet and the crackle of the fireplace.
Apple Crisp
INGREDIENTS
2 oz Gin
2 oz fresh apple juice
½ oz lemon juice
1oz Elderflower syrup
Garnish: slice of granny smith apple
DIRECTIONS
Add ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until well chilled. Pour into a highball glass and garnish with a slice of tart granny smith apple.
Apple Old Fashioned
INGREDIENTS
¼ oz simple syrup
2 dashes Angostura or orange bitters
2 oz apple brandy
splash of fresh apple juice
Orange twist and thin apple slices as garnish
DIRECTIONS
Add all ingredients to a glass and stir. Add a large ice cube then pour the apple brandy over the ice. Garnish with the orange twist and apple slices. CSL
This original wines and spirits article first appeared in the Fall 2020 issue of City Style and Living Magazine.
#CityStyleandLiving: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest
