Makes 1 cocktail
This recipe features some of the season’s favorite flavors, with a special ingredient that may be new to you. Before we even get to the shrub, though, we add just enough apple brandy to make it count, fresh apple cider (often produced with sweet Cortland apples, hence the name), and a splash of hard apple cider. Fermented ciders are gaining popularity, and though there are delicious national varieties, we bet there is one made in your neck of the woods.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) apple brandy
- 3/4 ounce (1 1/2 tablespoons) Cranberry Shrub (recipe follows)
- 3/4 ounce (1 1/2 tablespoons) apple cider
- 2 dashes cardamom, orange or aromatic bitters
- 2 ounces (1/4 cup) sparkling hard apple cider
- Cranberries, as needed for garnish
- Lemon peel, as needed for garnish
Directions
- In a mixing glass, combine the brandy, shrub, cider, and bitters, and add ice. Stir until chilled, about 50 rotations.
- Strain into a rocks glass over large ice cubes and top with the sparkling cider. Garnish with cranberries and lemon peel.
