Sunday, May 10, 2020

an apple tree grows in brooklyn

2 oz Apple Brandy (Laird's Bonded)
1 oz Dry Vermouth (Miro)
1/4 oz Bigalet China-China (Amer Picon)
1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Sundays ago, I returned to Frank Caiafa's 2016 The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book and spotted an apple brandy variation described in the Brooklyn Cocktail entry. That drink was the An Apple Tree Grows in Brooklyn that was attributed to one time Peacock Alley bar manager Orion Bergen and most likely named after the Betty Smith novel. Since apple brandy and Picon worked so well together in the Bonsoir, I was curious to give this one a spin.
The An Apple Tree Grows in Brooklyn greeted the senses with lemon oil over apple aromas. Next, a caramel sip led into apple, bitter orange, and nutty cherry flavors. Overall, the dry vermouth did not work as well with apple brandy as it did with rye whiskey in the original, so perhaps the oldest Brooklyn version's sweet vermouth found in 1908 Jack's Manual might work better here. Moreover, there was a whisky-apple brandy Brooklyn-like drink (with sweet vermouth) called the Sunshine that was a winner from the Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars book, so perhaps that it is not a bad route to take.

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