As the weather begins to change, it’s nice to welcome fall with a hot toddy, so I thought: what better combination than bourbon and apple cider? Unfortunately, that turned out to be way too sweet and a little disappointing. I have an old book of cocktails from the 1930s that suggested boiling down the apple cider to syrup form before mixing with the bourbon, and that was a good tout. The apple flavor become much more pungent, and a squirt of orange juice keeps it all from becoming too sweet. This is the kind of drink to sip on the back porch, wrapped up in a sweater on a chilly evening. Enjoy!
Apple Cider Bourbon
Prep time: 5 minutes to mix, 30 minutes to make and chill the cider syrup
Serves: 2
Ingredients
- 4 cups apple cider
- 4 strips orange zest
- 3 shots of bourbon
- 1 shot of orange juice
- 2 apple slices
Directions
- Boil down the apple cider and 2 pieces of orange zest at high heat until it’s reduced to one cup.
- Strain and chill.
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add bourbon, cider syrup and orange juice.
- Shake well and pour into glasses.
- Garnish with orange zest and apple slices and serve.
