Recipes

Bourbon Apple Fizz

At last, something really good (nay, thrilling!) to do with leftover apple peels. The heart of this fall fizz is a bright pink simple syrup made with thyme, lemon juice, and the peels of four Honeycrisp apples. It tastes just as bright and sweet as a perfectly ripe apple. The thyme adds a welcome savory note — and a certain seasonal coziness that plays well in cocktails.

Here, we shake up the apple-thyme syrup with bourbon, more thyme, and lemon juice, and then top it off with ginger beer. We like how the bourbon and apple-thyme syrup gang up to give the ginger beer some bass — the drink is light and fizzy, but it also has enough gravitas for the bourbon drinkers. If you like an Old Fashioned, you’ll definitely enjoy this cocktail.

Bourbon apple fizz is worthy of a fancy cocktail hour — for you, for the partner, for visiting parents. Its ingredients are so pretty and autumnal, you’ll want to pour the cocktails at the table, so your family can see the pink apple-thyme syrup, rusty bourbon, deep red and pale yellow apples, and green, green thyme come together.

Our tip: Depending on how many fizzes you make, you’ll have leftovers of the syrup. Use it to make other drinks, like Old Fashioneds or iced tea. It’s also splendid drizzled over pancakes and yogurt.

Servings: 1

Ingredients

Ice

2 oz apple-thyme syrup (recipe below)

1 oz lemon juice

2 oz bourbon

2 sprigs thyme

1 ½ oz ginger beer

Apple slices and a sprig of thyme, for garnish


Directions

  1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice and add the apple-thyme simple syrup (recipe below), lemon juice, bourbon, and thyme.

  2. Cover the shaker and shake vigorously for 15 seconds.

  3. Strain the cocktail over a glass filled with ice.

  4. Top with with ginger beer and garnish with apple slices and a sprig of thyme. Enjoy!



Apple-Thyme Syrup

Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients

4 large Honeycrisp apples, peeled (reserve the apples for another use)

1 cup sugar

1 ½ cups water

4 sprigs thyme, divided

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Directions

  1. In a small saucepan, combine the apple peels, sugar, water, thyme, and lemon juice, and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently until all of the sugar has dissolved.

  2. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.

  3. Strain the syrup into a jar with a lid, reserving the liquid and discarding the peels and thyme.

  4. Allow the syrup to cool. It will keep for at least two weeks in the refrigerator.

Calculate nutrition information for this recipe.