Apples and ginger make a great pairing that can be upgraded to party status with the addition of brandy. Sonoma county is home not only to Gravenstein orchards but also to Germain-Robin, an alambic distillery in Ukiah. It is also home to Healdsburg’s award-winning Cyrus restaurant, which inspired Scott Beattie’s new book on seasonal artisanal cocktails. The following recipe is for a drink Beattie says actually tastes like fall.
Autumn Apple
Makes 1 cocktail
To complement the tart cocktail, a thin layer of apple foam is added after the drink has been strained into the glass. This foam becomes a cloud on which to float a dehydrated apple chip, a baked and browned apple chip, a sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar and a few marigold petals.
Apple foam, for garnish
1 ½ ounces Germain-Robin apple brandy
¼ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ ounce Nana Mae’s Gravenstein apple juice
½ ounce Sonoma Sparkler sparkling apple cider
¼ ounce ginger simple syrup (see recipe)
2 dehydrated apple chips, for garnish (see recipe)
Optional: Cinnamon, sugar and/or marigold petals, for garnish
Place a V-shaped glass in the freezer to chill. Prepare and chill the apple foam using apple juice as the base.
Combine the apple brandy, juices, cider, and syrup in a mixing glass and stir well. Add enough ice to fill the mixing glass, cover, and shake hard for 7 seconds. Strain into the chilled glass, and apply a thin layer of apple foam to the top. Place the apple chips on top of the foam and sprinkle a little cinnamon and sugar on
top. Carefully set 3 or 4 marigold petals on the foam to serve.
Ginger simple syrup
Makes 3/4 cup (enough for about 24 cocktails)
¾ cup simple syrup, chilled
1 drop essential oil of ginger
Combine the simple syrup and essential oil in an airtight container and shake well. The syrup will keep for 3 to 4 weeks refrigerated in an airtight container.
Dehydrated apple chips
Makes about 8 chips (enough for 4 cocktails)
1 small apple
½ cup simple syrup
Cinnamon and sugar, for sprinkling
Using a sharp knife or mandolin, cut as many ¼ -inch-thick slices from the apple as you can, removing the seeds.
If using a food dehydrator, spray the trays with vegetable oil or lightly oil them with a paper towel. Dip the apple slices in the simple syrup (to prevent browning) and shake off any excess syrup. Lay the slices on the rack. Sprinkle each slice with a little bit of cinnamon and sugar. Dehydrating will take 24 to 36 hours, depending on the thickness of the slice.
If using the oven, preheat it to 150 Fahrenheit. Lay the apple slices on a silicone mat and sprinkle each with a little bit of cinnamon and sugar. Place the silicone mat on the center rack in the oven and bake for 5 hours, until almost all of the moisture is gone. Set the chips on a wire rack to cool. They will be warm, soft, and limp for a few minutes and will harden as they cool, just like cookies fresh from the oven. Stored in an airtight container, the chips will keep for 2 to 3 days.
Reprinted from “Artisanal Cocktails: Drinks Inspired by the Seasons from the Bar at Cyrus” by Scott Beattie. Published by Ten Speed Press, www.tenspeed.com. Photography: Sara Remington
