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In the Spirit: Are People Taking Applejack Seriously Now?
Photos via BloombergJohnny Appleseed goes craftWORDS Kara Newman, BloombergDear hooch industry: You can keep your sickly sweet âapple pie-flavoredâ moonshines, nasty neon green âappleâ liqueurs that bear zero resemblance to a tart Granny Smith, and ersatz âapple spiceâ whiskies that have probably never been within 100 feet of an orchard
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Photos via Bloomberg
Johnny Appleseed goes craft
WORDS Kara Newman, Bloomberg
Dear hooch industry: You can keep your sickly sweet 'apple pie-flavored' moonshines, nasty neon green 'apple' liqueurs that bear zero resemblance to a tart Granny Smith, and ersatz 'apple spice' whiskies that have probably never been within 100 feet of an orchard.
Finally, we have a crop of spirits worthy of Johnny Appleseed that are (shocker) actually made from apples'no air quotes needed.
Pegging it to the hard cider revival and craft distilling boom in general, some in the booze industry are even placing bets that aged apple brandies are poised to fill demand for brown spirits should rumblings of bourbon, Japanese whisky, and single-malt Scotch shortages come to head.
'People realize they can distill with whatever they have their hands on,' says Daniel Pucci, cider director at New York's Wassail.
Jacked-Up Applejack
Applejack is widely considered America's oldest spirit, dating back to orchards first planted in the 1600s. Historically the spirit was made from cider that was fermented and then sat outside in winter; thirsty colonists would later drill a hole and extract the liquid from the center of the cider that was too high-proof to freeze.
That method of 'freeze distillation,' or 'jacking,' is no longer permitted by US regulators, but its high-proof, concentrated flavor profile still has fans.
For years, the category was pretty much locked up by New Jersey producer Laird's'a respected producer of apple booze that's been in the business since the 1700s'but a handful of producers from New York's Hudson Valley, including Harvest Spirits and Black Dirt Distillery, are now giving that standard a run for its money.
'A few years ago, there were no applejacks on the market,' said marketing exec Elliott Phear, who along with Casey McGrath, rolled out a 100-proof apple brandy licensed under the Barking Irons apparel line. 'A lot of people are making whiskeys, that's cool. I thought, here's a space with a lot of opportunity,' he said of applejack.
The distillate is made upstate by Black Dirt and then aged at Brooklyn's Van Brunt Distillery. A limited run of 400 cases was made in 2015; a second batch will be released in spring 2016.
New World Calvados
While rough-and-tumble applejack may appeal to bourbon drinkers, a growing number of elegant, fruit-forward apple brandies are likely to appeal to connoisseurs of Calvados, the apple brandy made in Normandy that rivals Cognac's famous grape brandy for complexity and deliciousness.
As Wassail's Pucci explains, applejack is often aged in American oak, typically former bourbon barrels, which adds intense vanilla and caramel flavor. Apple brandy is typically is aged in more neutral French oak, which mellows the spirit while allowing the fruit to shine through.
Across the country, a newer New York entrant, Port Chester's Neversink Spirits, is making a clear eau-de-vie-like spirit with a blend of local apples. The bottles hit liquor store shelves in 2015, and it's available on Wassail's brandy list, too.
Beyond Brandy
Although the majority of apple spirits are brandy, noteworthy outliers exist. For example, Harvest and Tuthilltown Spirits both have lightly sweet, apple-based vodkas. The latter also makes a citrusy Half Moon Orchard Gin using an apple-and-wheat base (though there's nothing much apple-y about the taste). Negroni drinkers may look to Vermont's Orleans Bitter, a rosy, herb-infused 'aperitif cider' that mimics the appearance and flavor of Campari.
But perhaps the most interesting new entrant is Wigle's Walkabout, an apple whiskey from Pennsylvania craft producer Wigle Whiskey. Chatham University Food Studies graduate students developed the product'a blend of hard cider made from several types of apples (Bonathan Gold, McIntosh, SweeTango, Gala, Ginger Gold, Cortland, and Honeycrisp) with a four-grain whiskey (39 percent winter wheat, 26 percent Wapsie Valley corn, 19 percent rye, and 16 percent malted barley)'as part of a product development course taught by Wigle co-owner Meredith Grelli.
Inspired by the legend of Johnny Chapman (aka Johnny Appleseed), who scattered apple seeds around the US in a bid to grow fruit trees explicitly intended for hard cider, this is the second year that Wigle has produced its limited-edition Walkabout label. It tends to sell out quickly. Luckily, more products may be on the way.
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Applejack Cocktail Recipe
Wassail's Lady in Red Cocktail.
Created by Jade Sotack for Wassail, NYC
Lemon wedge, to rim glass
Sugar, to rim glass
1½ ounces apple brandy
½ ounce Cointreau
¾ ounce lemon juice
¼ ounce simple syrup
3/4 ounce red wine
Cut a slit in a lemon wedge and run it halfway around the rim of a Nick & Nora glass to moisten it. Roll the moistened edge of the glass in sugar. Set the glass in the freezer to chill.
In a cocktail shaker, combine remaining ingredients except red wine. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into prepared glass. Hold a spoon over the top of the drink, rounded side up, and gently pour the red wine over the spoon to 'float' it on top of the drink.
