This cocktail is an apple orchard in a glass, bursting with three layers of apple flavor from fresh sweet cider, 100-proof apple brandy, and fizzy hard cider. This recipe starts with fresh apple cider, the unfiltered type you find at farmers markets, orchards, or the refrigerated section of your grocery store. If you'd prefer not to make our spiced cider concentrate, you can also purchase boiled apple cider concentrate at specialty stores or online. SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: medium sauce pan, strainer, shaker, highball glass INGREDIENTS For the Spiced Cider Concentrate: 4 cups fresh apple cider 2 cinnamon sticks 4 allspice berries, whole 1 teaspoon cloves, whole 2 teaspoons black peppercorns, whole For the Cocktail: 2 ounces Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy 1 ounce apple cider concentrate syrup 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice from about half a lemon 4 ounces hard cider such as Samuel Smith’s Organic Cider Apple slice or apple chip for garnish (optional) DIRECTIONS 1. For the Spiced Cider Concentrate: In a medium saucepan, combine cider, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and black pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Keep at a simmer, uncovered, until reduced by 3/4, and consistency is viscous like maple syrup, about 2 hours. Strain and let cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month. 2. For the cocktail: Combine apple brandy, spiced cider concentrate, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake until well chilled, about 20 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled highball glass. Top with hard cider. Garnish with apple slice or apple chip if desired. Serve
This apple brandy–based variation on the classic Negroni cocktail is spicy, rich, and bittersweet. It's as simple as could be to make, but the magic is in the proportions: It's not the standard equal-parts setup. Instead, you'll use two parts warming 100-proof apple brandy, along with one part Campari and one part sweet vermouth (I like Carpano Antica here), so that the brandy can cut the Campari's considerable sweetness. The recipe, created by Andrew Friedman of Liberty Bar in Seattle, originally appeared in Gary Regan's The Negroni: Drinking to La Dolce Vita, With Recipes & Lore. If you like Boulevardiers, this cocktail is a cold-weather essential. To make a big batch of it, multiply each ingredient by the number of drinks you'd like to make, and add about 25% of the total volume in water. (Use filtered if you don't love the flavor of your tap water.) For example, to make eight portions of the Mela d'Alba, add 16 ounces Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy, 8 ounces sweet vermouth, 8 ounces Campari, and 8 ounces water to a resealable jar or bottle. (You'll need a container that holds at least 40 ounces.) Refrigerate until ready to serve, then pour into individual ice-filled rocks glasses. NOTE Don't use Applejack here; you want the strong stuff, marked "bonded." INGREDIENTSES: 2 ounces (60ml) Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy (see note above) 1 ounce (30ml) sweet vermouth 1 ounce (30ml) Campari Lemon twist, for garnish DIRECTIONS 1. Add apple brandy, sweet vermouth, and Campari to an ice-filled Old Fashioned glass. Stir until well chilled, about 15 seconds. Express lemon oils over drink and add lemon twist. Serve immediately.
