If you're hosting Thanksgiving dinner, mixing up complex cocktails for all of your guests is far from practical while juggling the preparation of multiple dishes. Thankfully, Chattanooga Whiskey experience manager Sara Serkownek crafted the perfect Thanksgiving cocktail for you, and it's easy as pie to make with a bit of prep beforehand.
Based on a signature Thanksgiving dessert — apple pie — the Apple of My Pie cocktail is similar to an old-fashioned, but with the added sweetness of apples, cinnamon and walnut bitters.
"I didn't want to make anything too heavy, since you're eating a lot at Thanksgiving, so it's pretty light," Serkownek says. "It's super easy to make at home."
As a base, she uses Chattanooga Whiskey 91, a high-malt bourbon, which she infuses with apples.
"I prefer a cocktail that you can taste the alcohol in, so I went with a very whiskey-forward cocktail," she says. "It's kind of a riff on an old-fashioned, but it does have a lot of those nice apple-pie notes to it."
The walnut bitters add complexity to the drink, she adds.
"I'm also just a huge fan of black-walnut bitters," Serkownek says. "I feel like they're the most underrated bitters. They have a very Thanksgiving-like, cooler-weather flavor."
Apple of My Pie
What you need:
2 ounces apple-infused Chattanooga Whiskey 91 *
1/2 ounce ginger-cinnamon syrup **
1 dash black-walnut bitters (Serkownek uses Fee Brothers)
Dehydrated apple slice for garnish
What you do:
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass, add ice and stir. Strain into glass with ice, garnish with a dehydrated apple slice and enjoy.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Sara Serkownek serves an Apple of My Pie cocktail.* Apple-infused Chattanooga Whiskey 91
What you need:
2 apples (any kind, of your choice)
4 cups Chattanooga Whiskey 91
What you do:
Dice and deseed the apples and add to a container with the whiskey. Put in the fridge for 6-8 days to infuse.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ The ingredients for the Apple of My Pie cocktail include apple-infused Chattanooga Whiskey 91, a cinnamon- and ginger-infused simple syrup and black-walnut bitters.** Ginger-cinnamon syrup
What you need:
2 cups white sugar
2 cups water
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 inches fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
What you do:
Combine water and sugar in a saucepan and heat over medium, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to low and add the ginger root and cinnamon. Let infuse over low heat for 30 minutes. Strain through a cheesecloth.
(READ MORE: How to make the 'Boots With the Fur' cocktail from Old Man Rivers)