Hey Brown Girls, I hope all is well. I’ve been battling a terrible cold. Not COVID, but a cold that had me down for a few days. The only bourbon I was drinking was in my Hot Toddy. I’m not a 100% but I am definitely on the mend.

Before I got my cold, I attended a party that was a lot of fun. I pre gamed at my house with some bourbon newbies and I knew I had to go sweet with a light pour. Since I have apples on every surface in my kitchen, I knew it was going to be apple based. I also wanted to incorporate caramel into the drink to amp up the sweetness. Now, the thing about caramel is it is a bold flavor and can quickly overpower anything. I happen to love caramel, so it doesn’t bother me. But again, we’re pre-gaming and I didn’t want the drinks to be so sweet that it caused an upset stomach.

I started with a cider base and took it up a notch. I made an apple syrup by boiling about 5 apples in ¼ cup of water. If I had a juicer, I’m sure I could have used that; but I don’t, so I didn’t. 😉 The apples simmered until it was a nice syrup consistency. I let it cool. It was cloudy, but I didn’t mind because I knew the caramel was going to also make this cocktail a bit opaque.  

Once my guests arrived, I poured 1.5 ounces of bourbon per person into a shaker, I added 1 ounce of cider and .5 ounces of my apple syrup into a shaker. Dry shake ( no ice) to mix the ingredients. The add ice cubes to the shaker and shake again. Add a block of ice to a lowball, strain liquid from shaker into glass and drizzle caramel down the sides. It is delicious. It tastes like a caramel apple, which could have been the name.

Dayle was my Godmother. If you knew her, you know how much she LOVED any and all things apple. This one’s for you Dayle T.

Cheers,  

~Kimberly Elise  
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