The Boy and His Poison: Apple Pie Old Fashioned

This particular drink will require a little preparation and a lot of love. The idea of an Apple Pie Old Fashioned owes a massive debt of thanks to a recent visit to Spuntino's where I spied a bottle of apple pie bourbon. Fast-forward several hours and I awake, dry-mouthed with the words 'make apple-pie bourbon' scrawled on my wrist in ballpoint pen.

There's nothing like a Memento-esque instruction to make me want to figure out how to concoct a drink. Having shaken the hangover (courtesy of a lot of bacon), I proceeded to grab a bottle of bourbon, some vanilla pods, cinnamon sticks and a tart granny smith apple. I'll warn you in advance, nurturing your fledgling infusion is a responsibility (a little like a 'fun-time' sour dough starter base): you’ll shake it, sniff it, and generally get to know it like a flatmate for a few days. But, with just a little investment of time, the drink is incredible. A warm rounded flavour, inviting colour and slow reveal on the tongue makes all the effort worth it. Plus, if you don't drink it all, it can also be used to spike all your apple deserts.

For the Apple Pie Bourbon 

You’ll need

• A bottle of your favourite bourbon (rye works equally well, just avoid whisky) 
• A clean jar
• 1 cinnamon stick broken into three
• 1 vanilla pod
• 1 Granny Smith apple sliced finely

Make it! 

1. Pour the bourbon/rye into a jar.
2. Add the sliced apple and make sure it's completely covered with the liquid. 
3. Add the dried ingredients and shake. 
4. Leave in a cool dark place to infuse.
5. Give it a little agitation once a day, and a sniff to remind yourself what you have to look forward to. Three days and it should be perfect, but if you think it needs longer trust your tastebuds.

For the Apple Pie Old Fashioned 

You’ll need:

• 50ml of your lovingly prepared apple pie bourbon/rye
• 2 dashes of angostura bitters 
• A sugar cube

Shake it:

1. Add a sugar cube to a large tumbler. 
2. Soak in angostura bitters before crushing with the back of a bar spoon. 
3. Once dissolved, add 50ml of the apple pie bourbon. 
4. Stir gradually until dissolved. 
5. Garnish with a fine apple slice.