Happy Christmas one and all. Hopefully you’re all safe at home and making the best of this outlier of a Christmas. For those that don’t celebrate Christmas, today is the beginning of a three day weekend at what is essentially garbage time in the year. So why not have a drink at (checks watch) 10 in the morning DFO Standard Time? I know I could use one. This week I went back to the well of the Please Don’t Tell to mix the Mum’s Apple Pie. I earmarked this one because of the ingredients and the name. I ‘ve noticed that I haven’t utilized rum very much here, so I am to change that. Plus, apple pie is still a seasonal thing at Christmas right? Also, I was curious to see just how much of an apple pie this would taste like.

Mum’s Apple Pie:

1.5 oz. Havana Club 7 Year Old Rum

1 oz. Red Jacket Orchard Apple Cider

.75 oz. Lemon juice

.5 oz. Demerara syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled Collins Glass filled with pebble ice. Garnish with an apple slice sprinkled with grated cinnamon and nutmeg

I did have to make some subs here. For one, Bacardi 8 instead of Havana Club 7. Also, I did the next best thing for demerara syrup: brown sugar simple syrup. Your eyes do not deceive you either. That is not a Collins glass, nor does it have an apple slice. I went rocks glass with crushed ice, and forgot apples at the store. So I dusted the top of the drink with the cinnamon and nutmeg. Life finds a way right?

Anyway

The nose is dead on for apple pie. The cinnamon and nutmeg aromas are the most prevalent. As they do in most dishes (or beverages in this case) where they are featured, they both play off each other nicely, and plant the thought of dessert in your head for sure. I also detect some notes of apple from the cider. Nothing too strong, but you can detect it underneath the spices. I can’t discern any rum smell at all.

It tastes sweet first, and then I get a bit of sour notes from the cider. Of which, is the strongest flavor initially. After a few more sips, I start to get more of the rum flavor hiding out underneath the cider. As the flavors meld, it contributes to an even, smooth finish. I do want to try this again with the proper sweetener. The brown sugar syrup was a decent substitute, but I imagine the demerara would add a bit more depth and enhance the overall flavors.

I’m also curious to see if this would work as a hot drink. I don’t really see why heating it up would adversely affect the flavor profile. It might not work with the garnish, but I wouldn’t be opposed to roasting an apple slice to try in that version.

Mrs. Sharkbait had a few sips and said it tastes like dessert in a glass. I would agree with her assessment, and recommend that you mix one of these after your dinner tonight.

(Banner image found here)