Sunday, October 21, 2012

Do You Like Apples? How Do You Like Them Apples?! - Will Hunting

October 21,
National Applejack Month



October is National Apple Jack Month! For those of you who just said to yourselves, "I love that cereal," leave this blog now. This is not the place for you!

Applejack is a strong alcoholic beverage produced from apples, more like a super hard cider. Popular in the American colonial days, Woodchuck couldn't handle this stuff! While hard cider was very popular, it was difficult to store. Therefore they would concentrate the hard cider, by freeze distillation, also known as jacking. The cider would be left outside, then the frozen bits would gradually be removed,  removing the water, as the alcohol will not freeze. By way of jacking, the colonials could turn a cider with a 10% ABV, into a 30-40% concentrate (60-80 proof). It's said that Johnny Appleseed actually sewed his seeds to provide the rural farmers with means to the hard cider and Applejack. Hell of a guy that Johnny! Now that I think of it, it does make sense! Look at any of his pictures, he's wearing a pot on his head and he is barefoot...been there!

 A popular brand of applejack is Laird's. The oldest native distillery in America, their first recorded commercial sale was in 1780.

Cheers to our ancestors, who were always looking for a better buzz! Cheers to Johnny, the original party guy!


Jack Rose
Jack Rose is a classic cocktail, popular in the 1920s and 1930s. In Ernest Hemingway's 1926 classic, The Sun Also Rises, Jake Barnes, the narrator, drinks a Jack Rose in the Crillon Paris hotel bar while awaiting the arrival of Lady Brett Ashley.
The Jack Rose is one of six basic drinks listed in David A. Embury's classic The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks.
There are various theories as to the origin of the drink. One theory has the drink being named after and perhaps even invented by the infamous gambler Bald Jack Rose. Another great possibility is that the name came from the fact that the drink is made with applejack, and it is rose colored! Hold the phone....that's the stupidest idea ever! I bet the gambler, known for his ability to lie, made it up!

Ingredients:

1 oz Fresh lemon or lime juice
1/2 oz Grenadine
2 oz Applejack

Directions:
Shake all ingredients well with ice; 
Strain into a cocktail glass or serve over ice.
Garnish with an apple slice or a cherry.


Johnny Appleseed Chorus -Disney



Oh, the Lord is good to me
and so I thank the Lord
For giving me the things I need
The sun, and the rain and the apple tree.
The Lord is good to me.

2 comments:

  1. Can we layer some Guiness on top of that? :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Apple Jack is a lovely and mainstream cross of Jack Herer and White Widow. apple jacks strain This powerful mix encapsulates the elevating lucidity of Jack Herer while applying a warm, mitigating unwinding to the body

    ReplyDelete