Apple brandy was usually consumed unaged, which was likely how it got the nickname “Jersey Lightning.” Or, along with its southern cousin peach brandy, it could be barreled to produce a more mature, aged liquor that you would only open for special guests. Even George Washington took notice, writing the Laird family for their recipe around 1760 so he could produce the same “cyder spirits” at Mount Vernon. Laird & Co SignĪmerica’s oldest operating distillery, Laird & Company in Monmouth County, New Jersey, was among the first to gain widespread fame from the apple brandy it produced. The process was repeated, thereby “jacking up” the potency of the spirit and leading to its name: applejack. Even without the benefits of a distillery, farmers could produce a primitive apple brandy by simply leaving hard apple cider outside to freeze during the winter, which allowed the water to separate from the alcohol. While rum depended on molasses shipped from the Caribbean, fruit brandies were produced from an endless supply of apples and peaches literally in our backyards. The other spirit you’d likely find in people’s cups during this period – indeed America’s first distilled spirit – was fruit brandy. (The origin of the name is unclear but seems to suggest a comparison between the effects of over-indulging with running headlong into just such a barrier.) The Stone Fence was one such drink: a bracing combination of apple cider and rum, which was one of the most common spirits in colonial America. We traced the journey of apple cider as it became a mixer for boozier and more creative drinks that predated the cocktail. I first learned about the spirited side of apples while conducting research for a book – “Spirits Sugar Water Bitters: How the Cocktail Conquered the World” – that I co-wrote with cocktail expert Derek Brown, owner of the Columbia Room bar in Washington, DC. He regularly served cider at Monticello, a habit he shared with fellow founder John Adams, who was known to imbibe his over breakfast, in addition to other times during the day.Įarly Americans became connoisseurs of apple cider, with an attention to type and flavor profile that could rival wine tasting. After all, who trusted the water back then? Of Jefferson’s four favorite apple varieties, two were exclusively reserved for cider making. Hard apple cider was a staple of the American dinner table, and was interchangeable with beer as a safe, low-alcohol accompaniment to meals. And so, if you want to experience apples the way our forebears did, get out your glass. But the vast majority of these were not for eating – they were for drinking. Almost all households with a bit of land would have planted an orchard. It’s hard to fathom that in the nineteenth century, the country boasted some 14,000 different varieties.Īpple cultivation was an important part of European settlement in the New World. Modern Americans can probably count on one hand the number of different apple types they’ve tasted. And while Thomas Jefferson focused on only four varieties in his orchards on the mountaintop, it was because – in particularly Jeffersonian fashion – he had meticulously researched and chosen what he considered to be the best among them. It was my experience as a guide at Monticello that first opened my eyes to the diversity of apples that used to be a regular slice of our diet. One is a feast for the eyes, the other for the palate. Imbibe chooses a participant randomly and donates $1,000 to their charity.Posted by Robert Yule, co-author of Spirits, Sugar, Water, Bitters: How the Cocktail Conquered the WorldĪutumn in Virginia evokes two things for me – the splendor of fall colors and the taste of fresh apples. In addition, Campari donates $10,000 to the chosen charity of the establishment that raises the most money. The way it works is an establishment registers for the event stating which Negronis or Negroni variants they will be serving and to what charity the will donate a portion of their proceeds – the minimum donation is $1 per drink. What I particularly appreciate about this event is that it encourages local establishments to participate and donate to a local charity of their choice.
This year marks the 4th annual Negroni Week presented by Imbibe and Campari.
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