High Appleball

 

I had to laugh when I saw the name of this drink. I'm sure it was so dubbed because drunk people kept failing at calling it an Apple Highball! It is the applejack equivalent of a Tito's and Vodka!

All jokes aside, this is one dive bar cocktail that stands up well with flavor and practicality. You don't want to stump a bartender or go out on a limb for complicated ingredients at a dive bar. Admittedly, you won't find applejack on every bar, but the chances are good that it is simply there gathering dust. You probably won't spend too much on it either. I really love Applejack 86 for its quality and fair price. 

Another thing that you'll find at dive bars is your basic ginger ale--it's the most popular mixer behind plain soda. Here I'm testing out Teddy's ginger ale. It's not a fancy ginger ale or a spicy ginger beer that's cropped up recently. I think Teddy's serves this drink well in that it doesn't overpower the spirit. In fact, that is the beauty of cheap ginger ale--you use it as a back following a shot or a way to tone down the burn of strong spirits. You don't actually want something to increase the heat after a shot. So Teddy's is fine, but don't go mixing a Moscow Mule with it, you'll be disappointed. Stick to mixing it with your applejack.

• 2 oz. apple brandy (Applejack 86 used)
• ginger ale (Teddy's)
• lemon twist

Build cocktail with ice and apple brandy in a highball glass. Top with ginger ale (or club soda or a mix of the two as other options). Twist a lemon zest over the glass and drop it in.

Bermuda Highball

There's a handful of Bermuda named drinks that, in addition it being strong, have a helping of apricot brandy in them. This is not one of them. The Bermuda Highball is strong though.

Brandy, dry vermouth and gin make up the spirits, and only soda spreads it out. I can see this being a great beach cocktail--long in the drinking but strong enough that you don't have to get out of your beach chair to get another one.

• 1 1/2 oz. gin (Catoctin Creek Watershed gin used)
• 1 oz. brandy (Cognac please)
• 1 oz. dry vermouth
• sparkling water
• lemon twist

Combine brandy, gin and vermouth in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a Collins glass full of fresh ice. Top with sparkling water and garnish with a lemon twist.