As far as I’m concerned, it’s never a bad time to enjoy a crispy apple pastry covered in baked brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and all the other bakery spices that go so well together. But it is undeniably a flavor combination that’s particularly well suited to the colder months, as it invokes warm and comforting feelings when the days are dark and the weather is bleak.
So for cocktails at this time of year, you can look to the trending ingredients of apple and cinnamon for inspiration when crafting your creations. While gin might not be the first ingredient you think of with these flavors, you can add a hint of spice in your garnishes, like this recipe using Gray Whale Gin which features a cinnamon powder and star anise garnish atop a fluffy egg white foam. Or make use of bitters, like the Baked Apple Bitters found in this recipe for a Bourbon Apple delight.
California Cornucopia
Ingredients:
- 2 parts Gray Whale Gin
- 1 part Fresh lemon juice
- 1 part Cranberry juice
- 0.75 part Honey syrup
- 1 Egg white
- Garnish: Cinnamon powder and star anise
Method:
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and dry shake. Then add ice to the shaker and wet shake. Double strain into rocks glass with no ice. Garnish with cinnamon powder and star anise.
Bourbon Apple
Ingredients:
- 2 parts Bib & Tucker Double Char Bourbon
- 2 dashes Bar Keep Baked Apple Bitters
- Top with Soda water
- Garnish with Apple slide
Method:
Add Bib & Tucker Double Char Bourbon and bitters into mixing glass. Stir until cold. Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice and top with soda. Garnish with apple.
