Applejack And The Spirits Of Colonial America

Knowing where colonial american spirits comes from makes it easier to enjoy. Most of the work is measuring carefully. Here is a practical look at colonial american spirits for home bartenders.

Where it started

Other colonial drinks included rum, flip, made with beer, rum and sugar heated with a hot iron, and hard cider. Many of these appear in historic taverns and museums today. If you are curious, visit a local craft distillery that makes apple brandy and ask about the fruit, the aging and the history behind each bottle.

It helps to make one drink first before scaling a recipe up for a group.

How it changed

Apples were among the most useful crops in colonial America. Farmers pressed them for cider, which was a common table drink, and some turned to a method called freeze concentration to make a stronger version. Over time, distillers began producing true apple brandy, and the name applejack became attached to this American apple spirit, especially in New England and New Jersey.

If you remember one thing, let it be that good ice matters as much as the spirit.

What stayed the same

Traditional applejack was made by leaving hard cider outdoors in winter so ice formed, then removing the ice to leave a more concentrated liquid. Today this method is not used by modern, licensed producers. Instead, they make apple brandy by fermenting apple juice and distilling it in a regulated facility, often aging it in oak barrels for added warmth and depth.

Always keep a good non-alcoholic option ready for guests.

How it is made today

Modern bottles vary. Some are pure apple brandy aged for several years, with notes of baked apple, caramel and spice. Others are blends of apple brandy and neutral grain spirit, and the label tells which. Reading the label and the percentage of apple brandy is the best way to know what is inside the bottle.

Enjoying it now

The key point is that applejack has an honored place in cocktails. The jack rose, made with apple brandy, lemon or lime juice and grenadine, is a classic from the early 1900s, and the Widow's Kiss and the Corpse Reviver No. 1 also use apple brandy. It substitutes well for whiskey in an old fashioned, particularly in autumn.

If you remember one thing, let it be that good ice matters as much as the spirit.

Practical tips

A few simple things tend to help:

• Keep a non-alcoholic option ready for guests.
• Measure with a jigger rather than free-pouring.
• Taste before you serve and adjust the balance.
• Use fresh citrus, squeezed the same day.

The bottom line

The best drink is the one you will make again. Take it one drink at a time. Each one teaches you a little more about balance.