When you think of the quintessential American
spirit, you probably think of Kentucky bourbon, right? What if we told
you that our Founding Fathers were imbibing a spirit sourced further North long
before the stills were running in the South?
The native spirit of the Red, White and Blue is
actually applejack; a delicious distilled beverage made from, you guessed it,
apples! POTUS #1, George Washington, was so enamored with the apple cider hued
liquor that his men often gifted him bottles of spirit. Legend has it that our
nation’s first distillery, Laird and Co. (continuously operating since 1780)
gave Washington the recipe so he could make his own.
Applejack is a spirit fermented from regular
orchard apples which are pressed whole, their juice distilled, and then aged in
American Oak barrels (not unlike their bourbon kin). It can run the gamut from light-bodied to slightly viscous and has
notes of fall spices, vanilla, clove and of, course, apple!
So, what happened to this beloved spirit enjoyed
by great American Presidents and authors alike (Hemingway wrote about it in The
Sun Also Rises)? Well, as is the case in most businesses, it became a
question of scalability. As grain-based spirits took off and became more
economical to produce, the labor and source-intensive applejack fell out of
favor among our country’s distillers.
Luckily, the spirit’s flagship producer, Laird
and Co., still cranks out the good stuff as well as a small but proud collective
of craft distillers like Arkansas Black. In fact, for a limited time, we
have partnered with Shaker and Spoon to offer you a 15% discount on bottles of Arkansas Black’s
Straight Applejack when you use the promo
code “AppleShaker” at checkout.
It’s perfect for these cold December evenings
where you can enjoy it straight or on the rocks; served hot and mixed in with
your favorite apple cider; or try this excellent recipe from Shaker and Spoon:
the Applejack of My Eye!
We hope learning about our country’s founding
spirit inspires you to make it part of your winter imbibing. As always, if you
want to learn more about applejack or any of the other great wines and spirits
that the Bounty Hunter offers, reach out to a Wine Scout!
Happy Holidays from the Bounty Hunter!
