I’ve been thinking about a seasonal old fashioned for the menu… Spring is going to be gin, muddled grapefruit peel, a dash of grapefruit bitters & some simple. The Summer old fash is probably going to be the tequila / lemon peel / chocolate bitters deal. I had a loose idea that the autumn old fashioned should have warm spices like cinnamon and clove, and probably be whiskey based, but I definitely wanted it to be different from the standard version that will always be available. So last weekend, I’m at the bar getting my sweet assed drink on with a few homies who are in the business of making sausage, and the topic of apples comes up. I’ve never really been a big fan of chunks of apples (or any fruit) in my sausage, so John suggested maybe they try a cider reduction instead. And that’s when it hit me. What is more fall than apple cider? Nothing, you fuck, nothing. So I’ve been working on this one for a few days, and can confidently say it’s a stone cold ruler.
Autumn Old Fashioned
1 oz. Rye
1 oz. Cognac
1 tsp. Apple Cider Syrup
Dash Ango
Pour syrup, ango and booze into glass, and mix briefly. Add large ice cubes, and stir for about twenty seconds. Add cinnamon stick, because you’re bad like that.
Cider Syrup (tentative recipe)
10 oz. Apple Cider (preferably from the Franklin Cider Mill)
2 oz. pure cane sugar
Add 8 oz. apple cider to a saucepan, and let reduce down to about 2 oz. It took me about 30 minutes, give or take. Add the sugar, and stir over low heat until fully dissolved. At this point, the syrup should be almost a caramel… really thick. Add the final 2 oz. of cider, and stir until a uniform consistency is achieved.
I’m sure there is an easier way to get the right consistency, but I just made a small batch, so I’ll update this if I figure out anything better.
Now on to winter…
