Apple Brandy Cocktail: Concrete Slippers

For this cocktail from Junior in San Francisco, owner David Ruiz mixes warming apple brandy with spicy ancho chile. “The ancho provides depth and warmth and plays perfectly with the ginger and the apple brandy,” says Ruiz.

1½ oz. apple brandy
¾ oz. Ancho Reyes chile liqueur
¾ oz. fresh lemon juice
¼ oz. ginger syrup
¼ oz. simple syrup (1:1)
½ oz. Cherry Heering
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: Collins
Garnish: 2 Luxardo cherries

Combine all of the ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a Collins glass over ice (Ruiz uses pebble ice at the bar).

David Ruiz, Junior, San Francisco