A La Mode

Karin Stanley, Dutch Kills | Brooklyn, NY

a la mode cocktail recipe daniel krieger

This combination of fresh apple cider, bourbon and Licor 43 (a citrus and vanilla-tinged Spanish liqueur) is just one pie short of, well, pie. But New York bartender Karin Stanley’s (of Dutch Kills) spicy, creamy ode to apple pie a la mode—represented with lightly whipped brown sugar cream—is almost better than the thing itself. Because, well, bourbon.

Ingredients

Serving: 1

  • 1 ounce bourbon
  • 1 ounce bourbon
  • 1/2 ounce Licor 43
  • 1/2 ounce Licor 43
  • 5 ounces apple cider, fresh
  • 5 ounces apple cider, fresh
  • 4 ounces heavy cream
  • 4 ounces heavy cream
  • 1 cube brown sugar
  • 1 cube brown sugar

Garnish: freshly grated nutmeg

Directions
  1. Add heavy cream and brown sugar cube to a cocktail shaker.
  2. Add the coil of a hawthorne strainer and dry shake, without ice, for ten seconds or more, to aerate but not whip into stiffness. It must be light but still pourable.
  3. In a saucepan, heat bourbon, Licor 43 and cider over low heat until steaming, about 10 minutes.
  4. Pour into a tempered mug.
  5. Holding a slotted spoon closely over the surface of the drink, float a finger's worth of cream on top of the drink.
  6. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.