Drink of the Week: Benny Boy Brewing Pippin Pommeau Part Deux

Apple cider or apple brandy don’t typically conjure images of a balmy, palm tree-covered Los Angeles. And yet, the city’s first cider room, Benny Boy Brewing, continues to impress ever since it opened last year. Earlier this year, Benny Boy caught our eye as an Imbibe 75 Place to Watch, and these days we’re taking notice of their pommeau, a French aperitif made by mixing apple juice with apple brandy. In 2022, the cidery/brewery debuted batch 1 of their Pippin Pommeau. To create it they blend a year-old apple brandy distilled by The Spirit Guild Los Angeles with California Newtown Pippin apple juice and then barrel-age it for a couple of years. The seasonal bottle debuts during their annual AppleFest.

And this year, Benny Boy upped the ante with a brand-new pommeau. Pippin Pommeau Part Deux is barrel-aged for an additional year in oak, yielding a darker color and richer flavor. On the nose, it’s redolent of ripe apples. Upon first sip, baked apple goodness fills the palate and the spirituous heat dissipates, inviting another sip. Clocking in at 17.4% ABV, this low-proof spirit arrives just in time for the holidays. Share it with friends before a holiday meal or pass it around while sitting in front of a roaring fire. You can lengthen it with club soda or try it in an apple brandy cocktail. $40, bennyboybrewing.com