Transitioning away from Halloween, we enter into the realm of autumnal cocktails that don’t quite reach into Christmas and Holiday spices. There’s still a chill in the air, but it’s time to celebrate the harvest. Squash, apple, pear, and other fall flavors take priority as we head into Thanksgiving. To lead off, we want to create a cocktail that focus on the most fall like of fruits, the apple. Enter the Apple Spice Harvest.
Apple Spice Harvest
Apple Spice Harvest a well balanced mixture of soft and floral scotch contrasted against vibrant fresh apple. The spicing from the pumpkin spice gives a beautiful pie like note, and warms the entire cocktail. The lemon gives a pop, and the entire experience is seamless and quaffable. The perfect sort of drink for watching the leaves change and passing afternoons with friends.
Drink Recommendations and Notes
Apple Spice Harvest is a fairly straightforward drink designed to be served over ice in a Collins glass. The most complex element is the scotch, where we recommend you steer toward lighter scotches with less peat influence.
- Glenlivet 12 – We chose to utilize Glenlivet 12 here thanks to it’s fruit forward and gentle oak influence. The tropical notes also work well with the fruitiness of the apple. If you’re looking to substitute, choose something that’s lower on smoke, such as Dewars White Label or Great King Street.
- Lemon Juice – Use fresh squeezed for best results.
- Apple Cider – Use fresh pressed cider for the best results. Non-pasteurized will lead to the best results.
- Pumpkin Spice Syrup – See below for our full recipe.
Pumpkin Spice Syrup
Ingredients:
- 20g Cinnamon (crushed into approx 1 in sections)
- 10g Nutmeg – broken into 10-20 pieces / nutmeg using the back of a knife or mortar and pestle
- 5g Cloves
- 7g Fresh Ginger cut into thin slices – 1/16″ – 1/8″
- 500g Water
- 500g Sugar
- 30g Neutral Grain Spirit (optional)
Bring all ingredients except neutral grain spirit to a boil in a sauce pot stirring regularly. Boil for 5 minutes while continuing to stir regularly. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Strain through a coffee filter into a clean glass bottle and add neutral grain spirits if using. Refrigerate. Dispose of if any clouding or mold develop.
One thought on “Apple Spice Harvest”