APPLE SIDECAR

A traditional Sidecar is as simple as a cocktail comes: three ingredients—cognac, orange liqueur, and lemon juice—shaken with ice and strained into a glass, ungarnished. It’s a no-nonsense holdover from the roaring ’20s, and an indisputably valuable addition to anyone’s classic cocktail arsenal. And you can make it that simply, with two parts cognac, one part orange liqueur, and one part lemon juice. But, unfortunately, there’s no hard-and-fast rule with the ratio, so you might find a better balance for your tastes by tweaking it. Nor will any two Sidecars you order at any two bars be the same.

Our Apple Sidecar uses our own barrel of Copper & Kings Apple Brandy instead of cognac, making it perfect for your Fall get-togethers.

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounce Copper & Kings Apple Brandy plum market barrel

3/4 ounce Bauchant orange liqueur

3/4 ounce lemon juice, fresh cold pressed

Garnish: orange twist

Garnish: sugar rim (optional)

Steps to make it

Coat the rim of a coupe glass with sugar, if desired, and set aside.

Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake.

Strain into the prepared glass.

Garnish with an orange twist.

WALNUT APPLE MANHATTAN

The origin of the “Manhattan” is a mystery. Popular history suggests that the “Manhattan” originated at the Manhattan Club in New York City in the mid 1870s, where it was invented by Dr. Iain Marshall for a banquet hosted by Jennie Jerome (Lady Randolph Churchill, mother of Winston) in honor of presidential candidate Samuel J. Tilden. The success of the banquet made the drink fashionable, later prompting several people to request the drink by referring to the name of the club where it originated—”the Manhattan cocktail”. However, Lady Randolph was in France at the time and pregnant, so the story is likely a fiction. There are also references to various similar cocktail recipes called “Manhattan” and served in the Manhattan area. By one account it was invented in the 1860s by a bartender named Black at a bar on Broadway near Houston Street. Our version uses Apple brandy and Nocino…a wonderful cocktail for Michigan.

Ingredients

2 ounces Copper & Kings Apple brandy plum market barrel

1 ounce Watershed Nocino walnut liqueur

2 to 3 dashes Fee Brothers Black Walnut bitters

Garnish: thin slice of apple

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.

Pour the apple brandy, nocino, and bitters into a mixing glass with ice cubes.

Stir well.

Strain into a cocktail in glass with 1 large ice sphere.

Garnish with the apple slice.

APPLE CIDER HOT TODDY

The hot toddy is not a cure for the common cold. But while Robitussin might open the airways in your chest, and Nyquil might get you a couple blessed hours of sleep, a hot toddy cures your soul. A piping hot concoction of apple cider, honey, and lemon with a healthy dose of Apple Brandy, it steams its way through your airways and arteries, dispensing hot comfort as it goes. Here’s how to make one for yourself this Autumn.

Ingredients

4 ounces (1/2 cup) apple cider

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons honey

1 cinnamon stick

2 ounces (1/4 cup) Copper & Kings Apple Brandy plum market barrel

Instructions

Combine the apple cider, lemon juice, honey, and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, then reduce heat and simmer for about five minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in the apple brandy, and serve immediately, garnished with a fresh cinnamon stick.