Get ready for the perfect Fall apple cocktail recipe, a robust and boozy but balanced drink that is mellowed by cinnamon and vanilla flavors. I call this a gateway Old Fashioned recipe, because so many people who try it are surprised that they like it, given that they are not typically Old Fashioned drinkers. Yet, even the Old Fashioned purists will appreciate this balanced cocktail featuring a play between smoke, sweet, bitter and warm spices flavors.

You do not have to smoke this Old Fashioned cocktail to enjoy it, but the smoke does bring out a nice layer that helps enhance the whiskey and balance the sweetness. You may substitute the Apple Pie syrup for one of our other Old Fashioned-friendly syrup flavors like Orange Vanilla or Rhubarb Vanilla and still have great results, if less seasonally intune.  

I was recently invited to make cocktails for a Smoke Summit luncheon put on by the Washington State Beef commission and made this cocktail as the welcome drink, to pair with the perfect smoked brisket and pinwheel flank steak, both of which were demo'd by Misty Banchero herself (on social media as the Seattle Butcher Wife.) Attendees among Seattle's bbq elite loved the smoking demonstration and one recipe and content creator first asked for another option of a drink, saying she never likes Old fashioneds, and then declared it was the first Old Fashioend cocktail she'd ever liked, and that her husband was not going to believe it. Pair this cocktail like we did with a hearty meal, even better if the preperation includes some smoke.

Note: You can get the cocktail smoking kits online, and we prefer to use the Apple wood chips to smoke this drink.

Photos by Truong Nguyen, used with permisison