Sharkbait’s Cocktail of the Week: Cider SZN

Happy Friday once again! This week is my apparently annual attempt at using apple cider as a main ingredient in a drink. Looking back at my archive, this will be the 6th time using a variant of cider and a spirit, all happening around this time of year. I wonder why that is…

Anyway, this is the first time I’ve used rum. I chalk that up to not usually stocking it in the bar, which is something I’m trying to rectify. After a few attempts and tweaks, this is what I’ve zeroed in on for a good ratio I think:

2 oz. aged rum (Bacardi 10 year for me)

1 barspoon(ish) Allspice dram

1.5 oz. Apple cider

Lime wedge

Add the rum, allspice and cider to a rocks glass, add a large ice cube and stir to chill and combine. Squeeze a lime wedge and drop into the glass

The nose is surprisingly mostly cider. Hints of lime make their way through as well. The more I go in for sips, I can start to pick up some allspice in there too which I really nice actually.  All in all, a very nice mix of seasonal aromas that promise a refreshing libation.

The sip is cider forward, but nowhere near as intense as straight apple cider. The rum sees to that immediately. Conversely, the cider tones the intensity of the rum down nicely. you can certainly pick up the rum, but it’s nicely balanced out. The lime comes in around the middle of the sip and then picks back up at the end. The citrus-y sour flavors pair nicely with the rum, as well as working in concert to help counter any over sweetness from the apple cider.

The finish is where the allspice shines the brightest. It’s muted, but that is not a bad thing. A little allspice can go a long way, and what you can pick up here is the optimal amount in my opinion.

So I originally went with a single ounce of cider here, but I think it benefits from an extra half an ounce. Without that, the allspice is a little too pronounced for my liking, I originally was thinking adding more lime or simple syrup, but Mrs. Sharkbait suggested more cider and that clearly was the winner.

I liked this a lot. I’ve experimented with cider and allspice before with great success so I figured this would be a winner. As to the base spirits, I think I like this more than the whiskey, gin or vodka I’ve messed with in the past. It’s a little softer on the palate than the other bases, and rum and apples is an excellent combination anyway, so it was set up for success right from the start. It was perfect for an 80 plus degree fall day, so make one of these this weekend and ease into fall with some rum and cider.

(Banner image courtesy Matthew Tetrault Photography)