Hello and happy Friday once again. I’ve been wanting to use the newly acquired Applejack, and went looking for something unique and creative I could use it in. That didn’t take very long, as I remembered the Please Don’t Tell book has more than a few recipes that require Applejack.The Applejack Rabbit in that volume is one that I picked and when I went to make it, I made a critical discovery: I’m lacking the orange juice, which is a rather important ingredient. I hadn’t realized I was out since I was at my sister in laws all week watching their kids. Getting some more was also out of the question since we’re going away for the next week and a half and we’re trying to empty out the fridge, and not add to it. With few other options but still wanting to use the brandy, I went searching for more simple ideas for the Laird’s and found variations on themes for Old Fashioneds and Manhattans, but was not really impressed by what I found. Then it hit me. The distiller probably has suggested recipes for their spirits, why don’t I look there? Among the many good looking drinks I found (and bookmarked there) was a Manhattan riff called the Star Cocktail. I’ve got all the stuff and it looks simple enough, it’s worth testing out in my opinion:

2 oz. Laird’s Apple Brandy
1 oz. Sweet vermouth
3 Dashes Angostura bitters

Fill a cocktail mixing glass halfway with ice. Add all ingredients and stir well with a bar spoon. Strain into a coupe/martini glass. Garnish with a lemon peel

Heavy vermouth on the nose. I can get more of the lemon peel garnish going back in and that adds a nice brightness to the drink.

Oh. Now this is not what I expected. Though to be fair, I really don’t know what I expected out of this. It is very, very close to a regular Manhattan actually. As much of the vermouth aroma you get, you get of the Laird’s on the sip. It’s a lot softer than rye or bourbon in a Manhattan, but it has enough zip to let you know there is some tasty apple brandy in there. Because of the softness of the brandy vs whiskey, I can pick up a lot more of the bitters here, especially since there is an extra dash of bitters in there. The vermouth is a nice base layer of flavor that is always present, adding a touch of sweetness underneath the bitters and the brandy. The finish is a nice mixture of all flavors working in concert for a nice balanced end to this drink.

I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I’ve had Manhattan riffs before that don’t compare to the original, and this one is easily the best of the bunch. I’d serve this to someone that thinks they don’t like whiskey or manhattans, and see if they enjoy it. I know I did, and would make this again in a second if I wanted a simple brandy based cocktail.

(Banner image courtesy Matthew Tetrault Photography)