For years, beer, like the proverbial cheese, has stood alone. Immune from the ever changing and expanding world of cocktails, beer has enjoyed many years of solitude as pint after pint has been consumed in all of its foamy goodness.
But the times they are a changin, and beer products are slowly being introduced to the world of cocktails in an exciting new chapter in the world of suds.
It may not be Fall yet, but that in no way means that one can’t go bobbing for apples in search of a good time!
Hard Ciders have increased in popularity over the years, and recently I decided to give it a go and play mixologist with a bottle of appley goodness. I decided to add more flavor and potency to a bottle of Aspall English Demi-Sec Draft Cider by giving it an extra kick by way of adding apple schnapps to it.
Weighing in at a lofty 6.8% ABV, the Aspall already has a fair amount of “good times” in it, but for those seeking a stronger libation; this is an easy and delicious way to go.
Pouring about a shot and a half of 99 Apples Apple Schnapps Liqueur into a goblet to start the show, one can go a step further and ignite this 99 proof liqueur and coat the inside of the glass by swirling the flaming liquid around, (without catching yourself on fire of course). After all of the theatrics, top the glass off with the cider and the beverage is ready to serve.
Traditional German schnaps, (only one “p” in the German version), does not include sugar, and refers to distilled beverages with no added sweeteners. American schnapps is loaded with sweeteners and added flavorings, but works just fine when mixing up cocktails.
The beverage is both delicious and dangerous at the same time! It is easy to be fooled by the sweetness and the smoothness of this drink. This high proof apple beverage goes down easy but creeps up on the drinker quite fast.
There is no need to wait for the Harvest Festival to enjoy the delicious-ness of cider! Crack open a bottle of your favorite apple flavored cider, pull out the matches, and dazzle your friends with an impressive, yet simple, cocktail to be enjoyed in any season!
