We’ve spent this month looking at different ways to incorporate apples into cocktails: apple brandy, apple cider, sparkling cider… well, now here’s a way to incorporate an apple directly into your drink. Doesn’t get much fresher than this. – Andrew

The Harvest Moon

1 oz Aged Gin
1 oz Irish Whiskey
1 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Ginger Liqueur
1/2 oz White Port
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/2 a Green Apple

Muddle the apple – preferably baked first to soften – in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add all your other ingredients and fill the shaker two-thirds with ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail coup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary (optional) and enjoy!

This is a complicated combination of a lot of autumn-friendly flavors, but I think it works. The barrel-aged gin adds soft spicy notes, while the Irish whiskey adds smooth, creamy notes. Ginger liqueur and white port add some sweetness but also spicy and oaky complexity. And that orgeat: most people associate it with summery Tiki drinks, but orgeat is a nutty, almond flavored syrup that goes perfectly with whiskey drinks and fall cocktails.

And the apple: tart and sweet and fresh. You’ll probably end up with some pulp in your cocktail, unless you fine-strain your drink with a tea strainer, but that’s ok. Lends a rich texture to the drink.

The result is my imagination of fall in a glass: spicy, crisp, rich and complex, with a bright sweetness but some dark, woodsy undertones. In short, I really love fall.

(Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, where we’ve been posting our experiments before they make their way onto this column!)

Glassware by Liquorary

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper