Cocktail & Other Recipes By Spirit Bourbon Cocktails

Apple Press

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Liquor.com
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Updated 11/18/22
Apple Press cocktail

Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

There’s an old saying about apples and doctors. While the adage is more of a superstitious parable than a fact, you still may want to incorporate apples into your diet. The fibrous whole fruit is always a great choice, but you can augment that apple consumption with the Apple Press cocktail. Jeremy Allen, the head bartender and general manager at MiniBar in Los Angeles, makes the drink with three different apple-laced ingredients

Four Roses bourbon, Laird’s apple brandy, apple juice, apple cider vinegar and Fee Brothers black walnut bitters join forces in Allen’s autumnal Apple Press. Bourbon and apple brandy are great solo acts in drinks, but they also work harmoniously together as a split-base, creating a sturdy foundation full of oak, baking spices and fruit.

Apple juice lends plenty of natural sweetness to the cocktail, so additional sugar is unnecessary, but be sure to use high-quality juice. Nothing beats a freshly juiced apple, if you have the equipment. If you’re sans juicer, try to acquire a bottle of locally pressed juice or just pick up the best store-bought option you can find. The apple cider vinegar lends an acidic kick of brightness.

Finally, the bitters add a touch of nutty roundness to the cocktail. In your glass, the Apple Press “screams fall/winter fireplace without being a hot drink,” says Allen.

Ingredients

  • 1 ounce Four Roses bourbon

  • 1 ounce Laird’s apple brandy

  • 1 ounce apple juice

  • 1/2 ounce apple cider vinegar

  • 2 dashes Fee Brothers walnut bitters

  • Garnish: apple slice

  • Garnish: cinnamon, freshly grated

  • Garnish: star anise, freshly grated

Steps

  1. Add the bourbon, apple brandy, apple juice, apple cider vinegar and walnut bitters into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.

  2. Strain into a cocktail glass.

  3. Garnish with a floating apple slice.

  4. Dust with freshly grated cinnamon and star anise.