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Who needs a cocktail?
I’m guessing the answer is: you do. Â When we went apple picking a few weeks ago I picked up a few small bottles of fresh apple cider. Â There is really nothing like a good quality apple cider, and the stuff I got this year was unbelievably good. Â I have been trying to make a good maple/cider cocktail for a few years, and I feel like this year I finally nailed it.
One ingredient that really made this cocktail fantastic is a liqueur that some Canadian friends brought us earlier this year. Â It is called Sortilege and is a blend of Canadian whiskey and maple syrup. And it is so good. Â Now, I personally hate it when I find a cocktail recipe and it calls for an obscure liquor that I probably don’t have and am not going to buy. Â So I did test an alternative recipe with more standard ingredients for those of you that can’t find the Sortilege or maybe don’t want to go out and buy it. Â But I did prefer the version of the cocktail with the Sortilege, and found the flavor to be smoother and more mapley.
I like the little bit of lemon juice here because it balances the sweetness of the maple and makes the flavors pop. Â I wanted just a hint of spices without going overboard, so I thought that the cinnamon stick adds that, plus cinnamon sticks excel at garnishing fall drinks. Â The longer the cinnamon stick sits in the drink, the more flavor it infuses.
I’m not much of a whiskey drinker, but the flavor just pairs so nicely with apple cider. Â If you really enjoy the taste of whiskey, you may even want to do half whiskey/half liqueur. Â That will give a stronger whiskey taste but still retain some of the maple flavors.
Maple Whiskey Cider
Ingredients
- 2 ounces whiskey and maple syrup liqueur such as Sortilege - alternative in notes
- 2 ounces Fresh Apple Cider not spiced
- 1/2 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- apple slices for garnish optional
- ice
Instructions
- In an ice filled martini shaker, add all ingredients except for cinnamon stick and apple slices. Shake until combined and well chilled.
- Pour over ice in a low ball glass, garnish with cinnamon stick and apple slices
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I like using my oversized ice cubes in drinks like this because they melt slower so they don’t water down the drink as much. Â Also they look pretty cool, right? Â I use this ice cube tray (<affiliate link).
What kind of fun are you up to this weekend?
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This recipe is very yummy but a little sweet for my taste so I recommend cutting the maple syrup back to 1/2 – 3/4 oz (depending on how sweet your whiskey is) and use rye instead of bourbon whiskey for a little extra spice.
Thanks Holly!
Heck yes you nailed it! This is such a comforting little drink. I love all these ingredients…..maple and apples and whiskey. It’s enough to wash away my ugh-the-sun’s-going-down-earlier blues.
Thank you Annie! I am totally with you, I was pretty bummed last night when it started to get dark before 5 :/ But we will always have whiskey 🙂
This would have been perfect for our trick-or-treating get together…..my crew would have loved this! I will just need to find an excuse to get them all back together for this delicious cider drink!
Thank you Kathy! It is a great fall drink (and even winter) so you have time! I hope you enjoy it!
Love the sound of that as s drink to serve! As usual, your pictures are stunning! Love the combo’s for drink & the setting!?????
Thank you so much!
Sounds very yummy! I am thinking you guys need to come to Kamloops-centre of arts, entertainment and food (translation: netflix, my clumy bouts, my cooking) and we should test this recipe together!
Sarvin – Yaaasssss, we totally do. We need to plan a cultural exploration shortly 😉