Cocktail Quiz NO.006

Which cocktail made with Calvados includes vermouth rosso and aromatic bitters with subtle zesty citrus?

Reveal of 006 Quiz: Apple Blossom Cocktail

The Apple Blossom is a classic cocktail with roots in mid-20th-century American mixology, particularly associated with the tiki culture that became popular after World War II. The recipe you shared is from Victor Bergeron, more famously known as Trader Vic, a legendary figure in the tiki bar movement. His influence was significant in popularizing tropical and exotic cocktails during the 1940s and 1950s, and his bartending guides remain influential today.

Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide, especially the 1972 revised edition, is considered a seminal work in the world of bartending, offering a wide range of recipes that blend classic cocktail techniques with a flair for tropical and exotic flavors. The Apple Blossom cocktail is a prime example of this blend, featuring a simple yet elegant combination of calvados or applejack (both apple brandies) and Italian vermouth.

Ingredients and Preparation

• ¾ ounce calvados or applejack: Calvados is a French apple brandy from the Normandy region, known for its rich, smooth flavor profile with hints of baked apple and spices. Applejack, an American apple brandy, has a more robust, slightly more rustic flavor, making either an excellent choice for the base spirit.
• ¾ ounce Italian vermouth: Italian vermouth, typically a sweet, red vermouth, adds complexity with herbal and spice notes that complement the apple brandy beautifully.

The cocktail is prepared by shaking these ingredients with ice and then straining them into a chilled cocktail glass. This method ensures a well-chilled drink with a balanced mix of flavors.

Historical Context

The Apple Blossom is a lesser-known cocktail from Trader Vic’s collection, but it exemplifies the era’s emphasis on simplicity and balance in cocktails. The drink's name likely reflects the delicate, floral aspects of apple brandy, pairing it with vermouth to create a drink that is both straightforward and refined. It's a great example of how even simple, two-ingredient cocktails can offer depth and sophistication when crafted with quality ingredients.

Mixing insights:

The ratio of ingredients is crucial for this cocktail. Since it only involves two types of alcohol, any imbalance in the proportions can easily result in one flavor overpowering the other. This is particularly true because the alcohol content of calvados or applejack is higher than that of vermouth. If the proportion of these two spirits is significantly higher than the vermouth, it could lead to an overpowering alcohol taste, masking the unique spicy flavors of the Italian vermouth, and suppressing the apple notes in calvados or applejack. Typically, this cocktail might be mixed with a 45ml/20ml ratio, but trying a 1:1 ratio might also yield an unexpectedly delightful flavor combination.