falling-leaves-#1 Falling leaves, cozy fires and a definite nip in the air… ok, that probably describes fall wherever you are. Me? I am still in shorts and flip flops and I haven’t seen anything below 68 degrees in over 9 months. So if I can’t get into cozy sweaters and evenings by the fire, I can at least sip something that tastes like fall, right?

So while the rest of the world is going a bit “pumpkin crazy” to me fall is all about apples. So, with that as my subject, I set about crafting a cocktail appropriate to the season – one I’ve decided to call Falling Leaves.

mulled cider syrup ingredients

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with sherry based cocktails, so I decided to use that as my base. The dry and slightly nutty flavor of sherry lends itself to fall flavors and plays very nicely with what I consider to be more fall based spirits – bourbon, applejack and rye. I also wanted something with a lower overall alcohol content for a “before dinner cocktail” and Falling Leaves fits the bill. After tinkering around a bit, I decided on a combination of sherry, applejack, a touch of amaretto, lemon juice and this mulled apple cider syrup.

The “secret” to this cocktail is the mulled cider syrup – which I have to say is pretty tasty on pancakes, waffles, ice cream and even as a topping for a panna cotta!!

mulled cider syrup

With Turkey day coming up, I plan on batching up a few of these to serve before dinner – how about you? What is your Turkey day cocktail??

Falling Leaves
Prep time
5 mins
Cook time
40 mins
Total time
45 mins
A little sweet, a little spicy, this is a quintessential fall cocktail - and the syrup is great on pancakes, waffles, ice cream and even panna cotta!
Author:
Recipe type: cocktail
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 1.5 oz. amontillado sherry
  • .75 oz. applejack
  • .25 oz. amaretto
  • .5 oz. fresh lemon juice
  • .5 oz. mulled apple cider
  • Mulled apple cider syrup
  • 1 64 oz. bottle filtered apple cider
  • 2 Tbsp. mulling spices wrapped in cheesecloth
  • ½ cup demarara sugar
Instructions
  1. For the mulled apple cider
  2. Add the cider to a large pot. Bring to simmer. Add the mulling spices and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove mulling spices and bring apple cider to a boil. Cook for 30 - 45 minutes until the cider is reduced to about 1½ cups. Add the demarara sugar and cook until the sugar dissolves. Cool and store in the refrigerator.
  3. For the cocktail:
  4. Add all the ingredients to a shaker filled with ice. Shake for 30 - 45 minutes until the shaker is cold. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass.
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