Sundays are for relaxing, long showers, cleaning the house, watching TV, sitting on the couch, and relaxing. It is acceptable to be lazy on Sundays. It’s the day of rest, after all.
But let’s say you’re like me – you’ve got big plans of spending time outside. You live in one of the most beautiful and picturesque areas of the country. Especially so when the leaves change and the horizon lights up with yellows, oranges and browns. You think about going on a hike, or even just spending time in your yard enjoying the bright fall sun and crunchy leaves.
What if I told you you could capture fall in a drink, bring it inside, and enjoy it while engaging in your favorite lazy Sunday activities? Here’s how.
This drink is a riff off of the famous Fall Classic served at the Gramercy Tavern in New York City. What do the city folks know about fall, though? The Hudson Valley is the home for fall. We do it right.
Instead of apple brandy, I used Cornelius Applejack from the Harvest Spirits Farm Distillery in Valatie. This stuff will put hair on your chest. If you wanted to make this drink even more local, pick up one of the varieties of bourbon from Hudson Whiskey.
Start off by bringing 1/2 a cup of sugar and 1/2 a cup of water to a low boil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Remove it from the heat and add 15 sprigs of thyme. I don’t know what qualifies as a sprig – one stalk, or one bunch of stalks? – so just use your judgment and put a little more in if you’re unsure. Let the thyme steep until it cools, then remove the sprigs. Congrats, you’ve made thyme infused simple syrup. This will keep in your fridge for a while.
Get out your shaker and fill it with ice. Add 2T of the applejack, 2T of your bourbon, 2T of your cider, 1 T of fresh lemon juice (about half a lemon’s worth, and 1 dash of Angostura bitters (or about 1/8 of a teaspoon, if you want to be somewhat scientific.) Shake vigorously in your shaker, and serve in a chilled martini glass.
Or, if you’re like me and don’t own such fancy glasses, in a cute mason jar. It’s rustic, or something.
Now you’ve got a taste of fall in a glass. You can sit on the couch, sip your drink, and look out the windows at the leaves. Close enough.
