Apples and honey are the traditional food of Rosh Hashanah. The idea of turning that into a cocktail has been kicking around my head for a while. This cocktail builds on the classic sour template. A sour includes a base spirit, lemon or lime juice, and a sweetener - the daiquiri is arguably the purest expression of the concept. Inspired by the holiday, I built the cocktail with apple brandy and honey. Angostura bitters add some spice and an egg white froths up nicely. The end result was pleasant and well balanced. If you like it a little more tart or a little sweeter, play with the amounts of lemon juice and honey.
I am by no means an expert on apple brandy, as the one I used here is the only one I've ever tasted. I used Laird's Straight Applejack 86. From what I've read, some cheaper apple brandies are cut with neutral spirits, so try to find one that is 100% apple. The apple flavor is quite subtle when sipped neat. I think it could be used in place of other brandies or aged spirits in general. Honey mix is a simple combination of honey and water in a 1 to 1 ratio. Without the water, honey is very difficult to incorporate into drinks. To make it, combine in a saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring until homogeneous. Transfer to a bottle and keep in the refrigerator. It features in such classics as the Prohibition-Era Bee's Knees, the modern Gold Rush, and a variety of tiki concoctions. The last thing to mention here is the dry shake technique. This means to shake without ice for a few seconds, before adding ice and proceeding as usual. Dry shaking is used to build more froth when working with egg whites.
For the holiday meal, I made a brisket similar to what I've done before. This time, I pushed it in a slightly different direction, incorporating ketchup instead of mustard. Ariel made a noodle kugel and a challah. It was enjoyable as always - they're classics for a reason.
