We are excited to share a cocktail that we presented at the most recent Twenty Valley Winter Winefest as part of their first-ever cocktail competition. We don’t want to toot our own horn too much, but we won! For anyone that joined us at the event, here is your chance to re-create it at home.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Dillon’s Rye Whisky
- 2 ounces fresh pressed apple cider
- .5 ounce fresh lemon juice
- 2 dashes Dillon’s Orange Bitters
- 1 tablespoon (.5 ounce) apple butter *instructions below
- .5 ounce ginger beer
- Dehydrated apple slice and cinnamon stick for garnish
- 24k gold sugar for rim
For the apple butter:
- 4 lbs Ontario Honey Crisp apples, cored and diced
- 1 ¼ cup fresh pressed apple cider
- ½ cup Vidal Icewine (could also use maple syrup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 1 pinch salt
Directions
For the apple butter:
- In a slow cooker combine all the ingredients. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Once cooled transfer to blender and blend until smooth.
- Adjust sweetness if desired with more maple syrup.
For the cocktail:
- Rim your glass with sugar and gold
- In a cocktail shaker add rye whisky, apple cider, lemon juice, bitters and apple butter. Add ice and shake for 10-15 seconds.
- Strain into gold sugar rimmed glass with fresh ice.
- Top with ginger beer
- Garnish with cinnamon stick and dehydrated apple slice
