Sharkbaits Cocktail of the Week: Pre Turkey Fortifications

Happy Friday yet again! We’re about a week from American Thanksgiving. Which means a long weekend, THREE Thursday football games (All three can’t be terrible…right?), and a shit ton of family (Aaron Rodgers not withstanding). With family and celebrations around the corner, I’ve usually used this space for a good suggestion for a drink to serve before dinner, or to just take the edge off. Need a drink to tide you over from awkward conversations and shitty family? I’ve got one that I think fits the bill. It’s called The Fall Whiskey Sour. Yes, I know I’ve fallen into the apple cider hole I usually find myself in this time of year, but it’s a versitile ingredient and is very seasonal, so why not lean into it right? The rye should be a good partner here as well. The maple syrup intrigues me, but I’ve used it in drinks before so I’m not worried about adverse sweetness and flavor clashes.

Fall Whiskey Sour

2 oz whiskey
2.5 oz apple cider
1 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz Maple syrup
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Apple slice sprig of rosemary, or other festive garnish (optional)

In a cocktail shaker, add the whiskey, apple cider, lemon juice, maple syrup and pumpkin pie spice. Fill the shaker with plenty of ice. Secure the lid and shake well until the mixture is thoroughly combined and ice cold. Strain the cocktail into a glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with an apple slice, a sprig of rosemary, or any other festive fall-inspired garnish of your choice.

Apple forward, no surprise there. Even without a bonus apple garnish, it’s fairly strong. I think the cider is also enhanced by the spice mix I used. Not pumpkin pie, but general “pie spice”. I think its for apple pies, but the cinnamon base dry spice would play well here, and I think it does, at least aromatically.

This is good. Not what I was expecting either. I thought there would be more of a rye coming through, but that really isnt the case. What gets me is how much of the maple syrup I get. Not necessarily the sweetness thankfully. I get some of it, but mostly I pick up the maple flavors blending in with the cider and the cinnamon notes from the dry spice. The cider is the other major player I pick up on immediately. That, in combination with the lemon juice brings the sour to the equation. Which isn’t very up front, but is a welcome addition. I do think that perhaps the “sour” in the name implies that there would be a bit more sour, but it just isn’t strong enough sour flavor wise. Actually, I kinda wish it was a little boozier. This could get you in trouble if you don’t pay attention to how many you have over the course of the day. .

It finishes with a mixture of slightly sour, slightly sweet flavors of apple cider. I would have liked the rye to been a little bit more of a player here, but overall I can’t complain. This is great, and seasonal. I’ll have the ingredients on hand when we host thanksgiving next week, and I’ll offer some up to our guests if they would like.

(Banner image courtesy Matthew Tetrault Photography)