Laird’s Bonded Apple Brandy in a .Issac Newton cocktail.
As soon as the clocks “fall back,” there is no denying the change in seasons--the shift from the languid and long days of summer to the brisk days of autumn that are--admittedly--beautifully bathed in the golden glow of the weakening sun. Even if temperatures occasionally border on summer-warm, at least in a comparative sense, there is no confusing fall for summer when the sun sets before 5 p.m.
People adapt to this seasonal change in different ways. As a point of exploration, let’s examine drinks (of course!). There are those folks who have their favorite beverages--whether it’s Diet Coke, iced coffee, or gin and tonics--and steadfastly hold on to them no matter the time of year. And then there are those, like me, who transition into drinks that seem appropriate for the season. As such, you won’t see me sipping a gin and tonic when it’s as cold out as a highball!
So, what will you see me drinking? From late September through Thanksgiving, I select from a range of cocktails in my binder of recipes, clipped from magazines and printed from the Web, that I reserve for these months, and these monthly only. What qualifies these particular drinks is that at least one of their ingredients evoke autumn. As for the nonalcoholic components, this could be something like pumpkin butter, maple syrup, apple cider syrup, cranberry syrup, and pumpkin beer. The spirits tend to be “brown,” that is, aged and hearty spirits such as whiskey and brandy. I do allow for pumpkin vodka, even though vodka, especially sweetened, flavored ones aren’t my thing. I can’t say no to anything pumpkin in the fall.
There is one spirit that is the autumn-est of them all and that’s apple brandy. The type most known around the world is Calvados from Normandy,France, but the one I turn to more often hails pretty much right from my backyard in New Jersey. It’s bonded apple brandy from Laird’s, considered the oldest licensed distillery in the United States. Laird’s & Company received License No. 1 from the U.S. Department of the Treasury in 1780.
To be fair, you can drink Laird’s various apple distillates anytime of the year, even with tonic water in the summertime, but I find myself embracing it in the autumn. Who can blame me? This is, after all, apple season, when we all go apple-mad, for ciders, apple cider donuts, and apple pies, baked with the surfeit of apples from a weekend of apple picking.
So, why not put down that gin and tonic and go apple brandy mad along with me this autumn? There are so many fantastic cocktails, both stirred and shaken, that you can make with Laird’s. A classic is the Jack Rose shaken with citrus and grenadine, which is basically pomegranate syrup (not molasses) and which is additionally evocative of autumn.
To inspire you, here are some of my favorite apple brandy cocktails from my recipe binder. Note that I make all of them with Laird’s bonded apple brandy, not their applejack, because it is 100 percent apple brandy, whereas the applejack, aka Jersey Lightening, is blended with grain neutral spirits. If this is apple season, you might as well go all-in with the bonded apple brandy. In addition, at 100 proof, it has the warming heft to stand up for itself in a mixed drink.
Great Pumpkin: Laird’s Bonded Apple Brandy, bonded rye, pumpkin ale, maple syrup, egg & nutmeg
Apple Crisp: Laird’s Bonded Apple Brandy, bourbon, lemon, honey, club soda & cardamom
Honeymoon: Laird’s Bonded Apple Brandy, orange curacao, Benedictine & lemon
Applejack Cobbler: Laird’s Applejack, apple schnapps, sweet vermouth, bitters & pomegranate molasses
Applejack Rabbit: Laird’s Bonded Apple Brandy, lemon, orange & maple syrup
Apple Blow Fizz: Laird’s Bonded Apple Brandy, lemon, sugar, egg white & club soda
Pomme en Croute: Laird’s Applejack, Campari, orange & lemon
Issac Newton: Laird’s Applejack, cider syrup, lemon, bitters & cinnamon
These drinks certainly make up for the sun setting much earlier than I’d prefer it to. I hope they do the same for you!