It seems like every time I watch Tammy Coxen with Tammy’s Tastings mix a drink, I learn something new. This time it was apple cider syrup. I’d never heard of it.
“I was testing a recipe for one of my upcoming classes. It's all about apple cider, hard and sweet in cocktails. And this basically is just simple syrup, but made with apple cider instead of water,” Tammy explained.
And she had some left over, and decided to make something new for you.
“I’m calling this the Apple Gimlet,” she said.
A gimlet is just gin, lime juice and simple syrup. It’s a classic.
Tammy thought the apple cider syrup might pair well with a couple of Michigan gins. She considered Knickerbocker Gin from New Holland Distillery. She describes it as having sort of Christmassy notes. But, instead, she decided to use the Michigan Woodland Ginfrom Iron Fish Distillery.
She thought the citrus and piney flavors would go great with apple.
The next dilemma was whether to use lime as the traditional gimlet does or to use lemon since it’s a natural with apple. She decided to stay with lime.
After she mixed up the Apple Gimlet, she offered it to me. I thought lime was right. I felt lemon might have been distracting.
“I’m with you,” Tammy said, adding, “I don’t know if it would have distracted me, but I do like the lime here.”
The one unexpected, but interesting thing about the drink was that I could taste the sweetness of the apple cider syrup, but the apple taste itself was very, very subtle. If you didn’t know it was in there, you might not even guess apple cider was an ingredient.
"It's not obvious. This is not your appletini. This is not sour apple pucker. But, it's not a gimlet either," Tammy said.
All I know is that I like this Apple Gimlet. I hope you do too.
Tammy said she thinks the recipe would work with a lot of other gins as well.
Apple Gimlet
2 oz gin (we used Iron Fish)
3/4 oz lime juice
3/4 oz apple cider syrup (see below)
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add lots of ice. Shake well and strain into a coupe or martini glass.
Apple Cider Syrup
1/4 cup apple cider
1/4 cup sugar
Combine in a pot and heat just until sugar dissolves. Let cool and store refrigerated. Yield: 3 oz, enough for 4 drinks
Tammy Coxen and Lester Graham are the authors of Cheers to Michigan: A Celebration of Cocktail Culture and Craft Distillers from the University of Michigan Press. The book is based on the Cheers! episodes heard on Michigan Radio.
