First
is a Jack & Rose, no not that Jack & Rose, this drink is all about tart
and sweet not freezing in the Atlantic Ocean. These are perfect for those of us
in a less chilly climate who want a snappy cocktail to remind us of the leaves
changing in other more deciduous places. Since
fall is all about the apples I love applejack as it is one of the most
delicious ways to drink them. Applejack is an American apple brandy and Laird’s
is the easiest to find.
Glass Type:
cocktail glass
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces applejack
- 1 ounce lime juice
- 1/2 ounce grenadine
Instructions
Shake the
applejack and other ingredients well with cracked ice, then strain into a
chilled cocktail glass.
I tend to go a
little lighter on the grenadine because this can get too sweet if you aren’t
careful. Also be aware that Rose’s Lime Juice, which is a common bar component,
is sweetened (and says so in the name!) so use fresh lime juice for this one. The best part of this cocktail
is that tartness and you don’t want to cover it up with a lot of sugar.
Second is a
drink I call an Autumn Breeze. I found two incredible things last year, one was
Red Jacket New York and the other was a spirits company called Art in the Age.
Red Jacket is juice from apples so fresh it’s like you pressed your own. But
I’m busy so they did it for me, do we live in a wonderful age or what? Art in
the Age has a line of craft spirits and they are all delicious but my favorite
is Snap. It’s a gingersnap in a bottle and wow, it is amazing! I couldn’t
resist combining it to make something refreshing for those yummy fall
afternoons.
Glass Type:
highball glass
Ingredients:
- 3 ounces of Red Jacket Fuji Apple Juice
- 2 ounces of Snap
- Blood Orange Italian Soda
Instructions
Pour the apple
juice and Snap over ice, top with blood orange soda
These are great
made by the pitcher for brunch. The blood orange soda gives it a very pretty
colour and these don’t pack a big punch so you don’t feel hung-over by noon!
Third and last a
nice spicy drink with a kick for those nights when it actually starts to get
cold and you need a warm up. I love mulled cider and spiked mulled cider is
even better. If you can get your cider locally pressed it’s always preferable
but for those who can’t Zeigler’s is a grocery store standard that’s perfectly
serviceable. I like to doctor mine up with extra spice so it does double duty
of being delicious and making the house smell good at the same time. This one
is a tad bit time consuming because of the mulling but it’s so worth it.
Mulled Cider *Adapted from Jamie Oliver's Jamie Cooks Christmas
Ingredients
- ½ gallon of apple cider (not hard cider, Spiced Zeigler’s is a favorite if I can’t get local pressed)
- 6 cloves
- 3-4 star anise
- ¼ nutmeg, finely grated into the pan
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 vanilla pod, halved
Instructions
Pour the cider
into a large pan on a low heat and let it warm through for a few minutes. Add
all the spices turn the heat up. Once you see bubbles, turn down to a simmer
and leave to tick away for 5–8 minutes. Be careful not to let this boil and do
give it a stir. If you happen to wander off you will have lovely apple syrup
but that's not what we want here. I wonder how I know that?
Once your cider
is nice and warm and smelling fantastic, ladle about 4 ounces into a big mug
and go for the spike! I add 1ounce of Applejack (Lairds) and 1 ounce of Scotch
(preferably a very peaty one, I like Laphroig 10 year). The applejack is such a
complement to the cider and the scotch adds the perfect smoky note that I love.
If you really cannot stand a peaty scotch I would go with the more traditional
bourbon, I keep Woodford Reserve in the house and it’s a good substitute that
will give a mellow mapley note.
Let me know if you make any of these and enjoy!
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