Fall Colors Cocktail
When I think of New York in the fall, I think of changing colors, cool nights, and apples. The greens and tomatoes at the farmers markets in Brooklyn gradually disappear and are replaced by many different varieties of apples. This cocktail is a spicy, rich and warming drink to have on one of those cool fall evenings. This cocktail is easy to make and can work with a variety of spirits. You can make an individual serving or make a large batch and serve it as a punch at a party.
- Yield:
2 drinks
- Cuisine:
American
- Course:
Cocktail
Ingredients
Spiced Baked Apple Syrup:
- 2 Fuji apples
- 1 Granny Smith apple
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups Turbinado Sugar
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 piece star anise
- 4 whole cloves
Dehydrated Apple Wheels:
- 4 cups water
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 Fuji apple
Fall Colors Cocktail:
- 2 ounces red wine, (something on the drier side with good tannins)
- 1 ounce rye whiskey, (you can pretty much sub in whatever you want here although I recommend some kind of whiskey, rum, or even gin)
- 1 ounce seltzer water
- .75 ounce Baked Apple Spice Syrup
- .25 ounce lemon juice
- 1 dash Angostura Bitters
- Grated nutmeg
Directions
- For the Spiced Baked Apple Syrup: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut apples into small pieces and place on an Anolon Allure 11"x17" Baking Sheet.
- Bake apples for 20 minutes or until soft and partially dehydrated.
- Add the apples to a medium-sized Anolon Nouvlle Copper Luxe Onyx Skillet along with the other ingredients. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a boil. Allow to boil for 2 to 3 minutes then cover and reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove the syrup from the heat and allow to cool. Once it has cooled, strain the syrup through a chinois or cheesecloth pressing all the solids to get as much liquid out as possible. This should yield about 3 cups of syrup which you should store in the refrigerator.
- For the Dehydrated Apple Wheels: Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
- Line an a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the lemon juice to the water. This is to help prevent the apples from browning.
- Using a sharp knife, slice the apple as thin as possible. Remove the seeds from the center of the slices if needed. The slices should be cut horizontally through the apple’s core so they look like wheels with a star pattern in the center.
- Place the apple slices in the lemon water and allow to soak for 20 minutes. Remove the slices and pat dry. Place them on the baking sheet and put them in the oven.
- Bake the slices for 1 hour then remove them and flip them over. Place them back in the oven for 1 more hour. Remove them from the oven and store them in an airtight container in the fridge. They should last for about a month.
- For the Cocktail: Combine all ingredients in a glass with ice adding the seltzer water last. Stir to combine. Garnish with the dehydrated apple slice then grate nutmeg over the top.