Properly Sauced: Thanksgiving Edition

By Anthony Todd in Food on Nov 26, 2008 7:00PM

You know what was missing from our Chicagoist Thanksgiving Round-Up? A great cocktail to serve to all of your guests! Party cocktails can be a tricky business and Thanksgiving is an additional challenge – you want a cocktail that feels like fall (no lemon drops and mojitos here!) but isn’t too dark and heavy. You could probably make something out of Turkey soda and vodka, but we've decided to avoid ironic drinks and make something that actually tastes good.

We think we’ve found the perfect solution in this recipe for an Apple Cocktail. Apples are a great flavor for autumn, and many local grocery stores still have a wide variety of local varieties on sale. We prefer Honey crisp; it's mildly sweet and its solid flesh holds up well to being filled with alcohol. Note: This cocktail can be made in a regular glass, if you don't feel like going to the trouble of coring apples. It's still good.

The Apple Cocktail
Recipe from Market Fresh Mixology by Bridget Albert

1 Whole Apple
juice of 1 lemon wedge
1 apple wedge (cut in half)
1 oz apple juice (unsweetened if you can find it)
1 oz limoncello
1/2 oz vanilla vodka
splash cranberry juice
cinnamon stick (for garnish)

Using an apple corer (or a knife, if you’re skilled), core the apple to the halfway point. DON’T cut through the bottom, or your drink will leak out all over your guests’ pants. Squeeze the lemon wedge on the inside – this will stop the apple from going brown.

In a mixing glass or a cocktail shaker, muddle the apple wedge and the apple juice. Add ice, limoncello, vanilla vodka, and cranberry juice. Shake well. Strain into the cored apple and serve with a short straw. Garnish with the cinnamon stick.

This is a great cocktail to make in batches. Core 4 or 8 apples at once, being sure to prep them with lemon, then multiply up the recipe to make a small pitcher’s worth. You can even keep a refill on hand for everyone.