Applejack: Fantastic Throughout History
posted on 22 April 2009 by tony
There once was a Scotsman named William Laird who adopted New Jersey as his home. Rumor has it that as early as 1698 he was producing Applejack in Monmouth County, New Jersey. From that moment on, the Laird family has been making Applejack, and a variety of other apple brandies, which I feel are on par with any Calvados. This beverage is steeped in history and legend, having been enjoyed by any number of great people throughout history. George Washington himself requested the Laird family recipe in 1760, and Lincoln was known to serve it as his saloon in Illinois for a whopping twelve cents a half pint, fully half the charge of a full three meals.
Applejack derives it’s name from a freeze distillation process called “jacking”. Apple juice is fermented, and then left to freeze. Since alcohol freezes at a lower temperature than water, the water will freeze first. You then remove the ice that has formed, and you’re left with a concentrated form of the alcohol. Do this enough times, and you are left with the apple equivalent of moonshine. The spirit isn’t going to taste the best, laced with impurities as it is, but you’ll have made yourself a rough approximation of the original Applejack from the early 1700’s. Today Applejack is produced in a more modern style, in a pot still with a rectifying column. Furthermore, the product known as Applejack is not pure apple brandy, but a mixture of 35% apple brandy and 65% neutral grain spirits. The Laird family produces several other products which are 100% apple brandy, but Applejack is the most well known.
While a number of classic cocktails call for Applejack, I will, as always, drink it straight for this review. It’s a little lighter than whiskey, looking quite a bit like the apple juice it was born from. The nose is very heavy with alcohol, but apple definitely shines through. Before I describe the taste, I will say I’m a bit biased towards this spirit. I have been in love with Applejack for years now, and I think everyone should drink it. Anyway, here goes. It’s taste, like it’s color, is fairly reminiscent of whiskey, just heavily tinged with apple. Once the initial alcohol dissipates, you’re left with an after taste that is almost purely apple, with a pleasant burn accompanying the taste. I can’t say there’s a lot of heat coming back up either. Applejack drinks smooth straight, and is also a serious mixer. Some of the first cocktails were made with this stuff, and it can be subbed in for whiskey in a number of others.
Well, that’s that. Applejack gets my vote every time. Grab a bottle of it and give it a go round. There is some fascinating reading on the spirit, and if you swing by shop I’ll tell you a story or two. If you’re curious, take a look at the recipe for the Widow’s Kick, which will get you well on your way to making drinks with the oldest of American spirits.
-Out.
Tags: applejack, calvados, reviews
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