Honey Baked Apples: An Autumnal Apple Cocktail

Recipe: Razel Rustia , Foxtail , New York City

Photo: Courtesy of Foxtail

November 27, 2023

Honey Baked Apples autumnal apple cocktail

For her autumnal apple cocktail, Razel Rustia, head bartender at Foxtail in New York, took the template for the classic Saratoga cocktail and leaned into the seasonal flavors by adding apple brandy, apple cider, and a housemade cranberry shrub. She also switches out the rye for bourbon. “I think apple brandy is very underrated and pairs perfectly with the bourbon in this drink,” says Rustia.

Ingredients

1 oz. apple brandy
1/2 oz. bourbon
1 oz. apple cider
3/4 oz. honey syrup
1/2 oz. cranberry shrub
1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
2 dashes apple bitters
1 dash pimento bitters
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Cranberry Shrub
16 oz. cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1 peeled orange
1 nutmeg, cracked
1 cinnamon stick, cracked
10 cloves, cracked
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar

Tools:shaker, strainer, fine-mesh strainer
Glass:rocks
Garnish:apple slices and berry fruit leather

Preparation

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and double strain into the glass. Garnish.

NoteThree dashes of Angostura bitters can be subbed for the apple bitters and pimento bitters.

Cranberry ShrubAdd all of the ingredients, except the vinegar, to a container, stir to combine, cover, and let it sit in the refrigerator for 2 days, mashing the cranberries once a day. Add the vinegar, stir to combine, and strain. It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.