48 degrees, sunshine
Silence, Marshmello/Khalid
It’s October and it’s Alaska PFD time, which are both are ample reasons to be clinking glasses to a fall forward cocktail. Lately, I’ve often been keeping it simple but seasonal by enjoying a nice bottle of hard apple cider. I like the carbonation and the crisp, fragrant apple notes. And, in autumn, I particularly like a hard cider with a little pinch of warm spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove.
My wife, on the other hand, is a lover of the old fashioned in the fall. She is entranced by the smoky aroma, the tobacco and woodiness at the front of the palate, the hint of licorice from the bitters, the deep amber color that catches the light just so, and the finish of cherry. I’ll admit, an old fashioned is a sexy drink. But, I just haven’t been able to get into them, not being much of a whiskey drinker myself and not possessing a taste for a drink that stiff in the first place.
So, we would sit across the table from each other, playing a game of cribbage, with my cider and her old fashioned in hand, the scent of each one meeting and mingling in the air in a way that made sense. It finally struck me that the two drinks together could make one fine fall cocktail, with all the things that she loves about her old fashioned, mellowed by the effervescence and crisp sweetness of the cider to make this hard apple cider old fashioned. Feel free to adjust the ratios to your liking, adding more or less cider to taste.
Hard Apple Cider Old Fashioned
Spiced hard apple cider meets a classic Old Fashioned cocktail.
- 1 1/2 ounces rye whiskey
- 1 teaspoon Alaska birch or pure maple syrup
- 3 drops aromatic bitters
- 1 pinch pie spice
- 4-6 ounces hard apple cider
- ice
To an old fashioned glass, add the whiskey, syrup, bitters, and pie spice. Stir to combine. Fill the glass with ice. Top with hard apple cider and stir. Enjoy.
