Jack Rose Cocktail

1.5 oz apple brandy
1 tsp grenadine
juice of .5 lime

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Shannon thinks this drink is ok, but "too limey." I think it is rather good, but I'm not sure I would order it in a bar.

Soother Cocktail

.5 oz brandy
.5 oz apple brandy
.5 oz triple sec
juice of .5 lemon
1 tsp powdered sugar

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. This drink further proves my first law of triple sec: i.e. everything with a significant amount of triple sec in it tastes good. Shannon was skeptical, but agrees that this drink really is rather soothing.

The Moonlight

2 oz. apple brandy
the juice of one lemon
1 tsp. powdered sugar

Shake with ice and pour over more ice into an old fashioned glass.

Crooney says this tastes like lemonade, which isn't bad.

This drink is really tart, which does make it taste a bit like lemonade. Overall, this one is ok.

Third Rail Cocktail

.75 oz light rum
.75 oz apple brandy
.75 oz brandy
.25 tsp anisette

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Kim and Shannon took one look at this drink and want nothing to do with it. I took the first sip and I don't think it is that bad, but the taste of anisette overpowers everything else. I am consistently surprised by how small amounts of anisette always overpower the other ingredients in any drink.

Shannon will not even speak after one sip of this drink and Kim gagged and coughed. They are both now convinced that I hate them.

Bolero

1.5 oz light rum
.75 oz apple brandy
.25 tsp sweet vermouth

Shake with cracked ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Both Shannon and guest judge Kim think this drink is absolutely horrible. They both had very witty things to say about how bad it is that I can no longer remember. I think this drink is not good, but not quite as bad as they think.

Apple Pie #1

Welcome to rumtown. We have decided to take a foray into rum in honor of the warmer months. And, Crooney is quick to add, in order to finish off rum before the big move.

.75 oz. light rum
.75 oz. sweet vermouth (sweet, sweet vermouth)
1 tsp apple brandy
.50 tsp grenadine
1 tsp lemon juice

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass.

Crooney is "meh" on this beverage. I am also "meh." I've had better (my favorite rickey) but I've had much, much worse.

Guest judge Kim says she was expecting worse, based on our facial expressions. She said it wasn't bad, but when Crooney asked whether she'd finish it, she was not so enthusiastic. She also made the very prescient point that this drink would be much, much improved as a shot.

Harvard Cooler

2 oz. apple brandy
.5 tsp powdered sugar
club soda

Dissolve the powdered sugar in a collins glass with two ounces of club soda. Add ice and apple brandy. Top off with more club soda.

Shannon says, why don't you just put some lime juice in this and then I'll drink it... maybe.... probably not. She then backtracked and said it is not that bad, it just has an alcoholly aftertaste.

I think it's pretty good. I am waiting for this drink to reject me, however, just like its namesake.

The Jack in the Box

Here we are at the Jack in the Box cocktail, and it is the eve of MJ's memorial. Serendipity!

1 oz. apple brandy
1 oz. pineapple juice
dash bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a collins glass.

Crooney pronounces the drink "pretty good," mostly because of the pineapple juice. Surprisingly, I agree. This drink tastes a little like the fall (despite the tropical juice), but I like it a lot. The pineapple taste really does give it a pleasant taste.

Jack! In the box!

Too soon?

Depth Bomb

Take 1 oz. brandy, 1 oz. apple brandy, 1 dash grenadine, and 1 dash lemon juice, shake with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass. It's not the best, but it's not the worst. Shannon took one sip and nearly gagged. She then begged me to take the drink away from her.

Deauville Cocktail

Take the juice of 1/4 lemon, 1/2 an ounce of brandy, 1/2 an ounce of apple brandy, and 1/2 an ounce of triple sec, shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Shannon says it looks and smells like every other Mr. Boston drink. However, it is surprisingly refreshing. But then again she's been drinking. I agree with her assessment. I attribute it to the magic of triple sec.

As an aside, this is my last Mr. Boston drink of my twenties. I'm so old.

Brandy Squirt

Shake one and a half ounces of brandy, one tablespoon of powdered sugar, and one teaspoon of grenadine with ice and strain into a highball glass. Fill with club soda.

An entire tablespoon of powdered sugar is quite a bit for one drink and it shows. Shannon likes it. She thinks it tastes like gatorade. It is a tad too sweet for me.

Apple Brandy Rickey

Fill a highball glass with ice. Add the juice of half a lime, one and a half ounces of apple brandy, and then fill with club soda. Leave the lime in the glass.

Being without actual limes, we did not leave the lime in the glass. I wonder if this made a difference because the lime taste was largely hidden. Actually, so was the apple brandy. It tasted a lot like club soda, which is probably why Shannon liked it.

Apple Brandy Sour

Shake two ounces apple brandy, the juice of half a lemon, and half a teaspoon of powdered sugar and strain into a sour glass.



I like this drink, but I happen to be a fairly sour fellow. If I had not made the drink myself, I would have had no idea that there was any apple brandy in it. Shannon thought this drink was ok, in spite of the fact it tasted like sulfuric acid.

Apple Brandy Highball

Pour two ounces of apple brandy over ice into a highball glass. Fill with club soda. This drink can also be made with ginger ale instead of club soda.

Shannon and I both agree this that drink is better than the apple brandy cocktail. It tastes like a more highly carbonated hard cider.

Apple Brandy Cocktail

Take one and a half ounces of apple brandy, one teaspoon of grenadine, and one teaspoon of lemon juice. Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

It's not bad, but I can't quite put my finger on what I'm tasting. The apple and lemon flavors are engaged in outright war on my palette.

Shannon reaction was negative. She thinks it smelled better than it tasted.

We need to give a special shout-out to Kim, Dawn, and Steve for procuring this apple brandy for us. Many thanks.

While we are on the topic of the apple brandy, we should note that it is impossible to find true apple brandy anymore. We are using a product known as Applejack. It is 35% apple brandy and 65% grain neutral spirits. They claim that George Washington was a fan. Somehow I doubt that.