Colorado Cider
An alpine herbal liqueur lengthened with cloudy, non-alcoholic apple cider
Ingredients
- 1 ozThree PinsTwenty-two alpine botanicalsSubstitute: Another alpine herbal liqueur
- 4 ozApple CiderFresh, unfiltered and non-alcoholic; not clear apple juice
Instructions
- Fill a rocks glass with ice
- Add 1 oz Three Pins
- Top with 4 oz fresh, non-alcoholic apple cider and stir once
Cloudy cider, not clear juice; the tannin is doing the work
Technique Notes
Cloudy apple cider rather than clear juice, and the non-alcoholic pressing rather than hard cider. Cloudy cider carries tannin and a little acid that clear juice does not, and Three Pins is sweet enough that juice alone leaves the drink flat and one-note.
Why the Colorado Cider Works
Alpine botanicals and orchard fruit are a shorter distance apart than they sound: spruce tip and elderflower both sit in the same green-resinous register as apple skin. Cloudy cider brings the tannin that makes the connection audible, which is why the drink needs it cloudy and not clear.