And yes, I’m doing this partly so I don’t have to remember how I did it for next time. Also, it just seems the thing to finally get around to doing this week. (And don’t forget this thing.) Let’s start with a dead simple apple cider and bourbon drink I’ve been making a fair amount this fall.
- 60 grams of bourbon (my standard is Jim Beam)
- ~150 grams of apple cider
- 2-4 shakes of Angostura Bitters
- micro-pinch of salt
This is super basic, but it worked well at our housewarming when we ran out of mint bourbon and grapefruit juice, which I needed for the rest of what I was mixing. (Julep and grapefruit punch cocktail recipes to follow when I get around to it or juice another grapefruit).
Bourbon and apple play super well together to start with, and I like the medicinal/herbal notes of the dash of bitters in this, but I’ve also made it with a squirt of simple syrup and lemon as well or instead.
Apple cider varies a lot from brand to brand, farm to farm, week to week and jug to jug. Just like when you’re making apple pie or tomato salad, taste first and decide how much sweetness, acid, or spices to use to get the apple flavor just right. It gets even more interesting when your cider starts to ferment, and you lose a lot of sweetness and the acid starts to modulate.
If you want to be all artsy with it you can dial down the cider to 100 grams or even less, shake with ice, pour into a martini glass or whatever you like and through a lemon on the glass, or a super thin curly bit of apple.
Don’t forget the pinch of salt, it brings out a lot of apply goodness.
Nutmeg’s also good grated over the top, or you could make it hot instead of cold…
