Apple Brown Derby Cocktail

This Apple Brown Derby Cocktail is an apple-y twist (or should I say slice?) on the cocktail from the famous restaurant from mid 20th century Hollywood.

Have you ever heard of Applejack? It's an American spirit, produced by Laird's, which is a blend of distilled cider and neutral spirits, not to be confused with a My Little Pony character. I impulsively picked up a bottle, and have used it as a substitute for both brandy and whisky in a few cocktails with delicious success.


The traditional Brown Derby Cocktail is a mixture of good bourbon, honey syrup, and fresh grapefruit juice. To make the Apple Brown Derby, I substituted Applejack for the bourbon and apple juice concentrate for the honey syrup. You could also use boiled apple cider.

Amazingly, even though this cocktail contains grapefruit juice, you really don't taste it. Instead, it tastes more like an apple.

This is a really tasty cocktail. I recommend garnishing it with a couple of slices of honey crisp apples. An apple a day, right?

If you like bourbon cocktails, be sure to try the Ginger Gold Rush Cocktail too. 

Happy Friday!

Apple Brown Derby Cocktail

Makes one cocktail

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounces Applejack

3/4 ounces fresh grapefruit juice

1/2 ounce of apple juice concentrate 

Pinch of sea salt
Apple slices

Instructions

1. Fill a cocktail shaker or a tall glass with ice. 
2. Add the ingredients (except the apple slices) and shake or stir until icy cold.
3. Strain into a chilled glass. 
4. Garnish with apple slices.

Adapted from Imbibe Magazine, January/February 2016