The Apple Butter Bourbon Experiment (Part Two)

So I made the Apple Ginger Fizz for me and Jessi tonight, and I observed a few things. Here is the original recipe:

apple-ginger-bourbon-cocktail-2
Photo and recipe from “One Sweet Mess”

– 1 oz bourbon
– 1/2 tablespoon apple butter
– 4 ounces ginger beer
– lime wedge
Shake bourbon and apple butter in a mixing tin, serve over ice, top with ginger beer, and garnish with lime wedge.
Simple enough, right? Let’s play with it!

First of all, I made a few modifications to the recipe:

– I made a double batch, so this meant doubling all ingredients. Additionally, I prefer my drinks a bit stronger, so I tossed in an extra shot of bourbon.

– The original recipe called for Bulleit, but I opted once more for Buffalo Trace. Nothing against Bulleit; as my brother would say, “It’s a perfectly serviceable bourbon.” I just used what I had on hand. Buffalo Trace has become my go-to cocktail bourbon in the absence of my previously preferred Two Star.

– While the author refers to Weber’s Cider Mill apple butter (which has a smooth, almost creamy consistency according to her description), we have our own homemade stuff on hand, so of course we’re going to use that! You always want the freshest, most local ingredients, but for this recipe, that does mean a chunkier texture to take into account. We’ll cover the consequences of this when we get to technique.

– On seeing the ingredients, my first thought was, “It’s like a Kentucky Mule with apple butter,” so I was more interested in the lime juice than the lime wedge. I juiced a key lime directly into my mixing tin. As I had hoped, the introduction of the lime juice provided a bit more complexity and body to this cocktail.

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image source: food.com

So now that those modifications are out of the way, a few notes on technique:

Because of the chunkier nature of the homemade apple butter, I had no option but to double-strain this cocktail using both a hawthorne strainer and a small fine mesh kitchen strainer. The difficulty here is how the spices in the apple butter clog up the mesh strainer, so it’s crucial to use a circular pouring motion from your mixing tin or even roll the strainer slightly from side-to-side as you pour to distribute the seasonings around the strainer. When the strainer does get clogged (which is pretty much inevitable on this cocktail), the most professional way to rush the liquid through is to lightly tap the strainer on the side of your mixing tin as demonstrated in this helpful video tutorial.

Once the bourbon, apple butter, and lime juice are in the glasses, it’s time to top off the cocktail with ginger beer. I’m not picky about ginger beer (as long as it’s not diet), but for the record, I used Barritts. The cocktail will have a slight foam at the top, and part of this foam’s beauty will be the traces of cinnamon and other fall seasonings punctuating it. This will have a fun effect on the nose and also leave a spicy aftertaste in the upper palate distinct from the traditional Kentucky Mule. Remember that smell and taste are almost equally important senses in the craft of the cocktail.

unnamedAlright, time to talk presentation:

While the recipe online showed standard rocks glasses, I opted to break out my antique collins glasses. My friend Beverly found these at a thrift shop, and though they’re fragile, they’re some of my favorite glassware. Glassware of this type is fairly easy to come by, so always keep an eye out at antique stores, thrift shops, and flea markets for these sorts of finds! These glasses are my choice for almost all carbonated cocktails because of the more focused upward momentum of the carbonation. The taller narrower glass shape gives those pleasant bubbles less open space in which to dissipate, and there’s just something beautiful about stacked ice cubes in a collins glass. Speaking of ice, if you want to get really technical, serving this drink on the rocks makes it a variety of collins, not a fizz (which is traditionally served without ice), so everything about this cocktail screams collins glass. The only downside of the collins glass is that there’s not a ton of room for garnish, but I’ll take that trade to preserve the effervescence and better direct the aroma.

Speaking of garnish, the recipe recommends a lime wedge, but I prefer half a green apple slice for this drink. Not only does it fit with the apple motif; the tart of the green apple is a natural contrast to the cinnamon and ginger that dominate the flavor profile. This tartness makes green apples the preferred apple for apple pie, and it makes them a logical pairing for this cocktail as well. I say a half slice because trying to balance a full slice on the edge of a collins glass will look pretty unattractive, and presentation is a huge part of the cocktail craft! Alternatively, you can also use a dried green apple chip (which occupies less space and is equally attractive), but this won’t have the same crisp tart of a fresh green apple.

So, with all the technical stuff addressed, it’s time for the elephant in the room. This cocktail requires a good bit of additional work because of how the spices and apple chunks clog up the strainers, and while it’s delicious, it’s just not that distinctive from other simpler bourbon cocktails. You can save yourself a lot of trouble and a lot of dishes by just making a Kentucky Mule. Then again, with a little brown sugar syrup and a bottle of apple bitters, perhaps there’s an even simpler solution…

To be concluded.

 

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