Name: Paradise Apple (Thanksgiving Cocktail With Bourbon, Apple Cider, and Riesling)
Yield: Makes 1 cocktail
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp. honey; 4 dried figs, halved; 1 oz. bourbon; ¾ oz. dry riesling; ½ oz. St-Germain Elderflower liqueur; ½ oz. apple cider; ½ oz. fresh lemon juice; ¼ oz. Fig-Infused Honey Syrup; Garnish: Apple slice or dehydrated apple slice

3 Paradise Apple Thanksgiving cocktails in coupes with apple garnish.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou

Riesling—a classic Thanksgiving wine pick—has apple-like flavors that pair wonderfully with a meal of turkey and stuffing. In this Thanksgiving cocktail, the wine (Marrero favors dry Rieslings from the Finger Lakes or Alsace) adds brightness to a mix of fresh apple cider and bourbon. Blending dried figs with honey syrup gives you a sweetener that’s full of earthy, nutty notes, and a small amount of floral liqueur gives the tart, refreshing drink a subtle luscious quality.

Recipe information

Yield
Makes 1 cocktail

Ingredients

For the Fig-Infused Honey Syrup

2 Tbsp. honey

4 dried figs, halved

For the Cocktail

1 oz. bourbon

¾ oz. dry riesling

½ oz. St-Germain Elderflower liqueur

½ oz. apple cider

½ oz. fresh lemon juice

¼ oz. Fig-Infused Honey Syrup

Garnish: Apple slice or dehydrated apple slice

Preparation

Step 1
To make the fig-infused honey syrup, warm honey, dried figs, and ½ cup water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to completely dissolve honey. Keep warm 10 minutes, lowering heat if needed to avoid coming to a simmer. Do not let boil. Remove from heat, let cool, covered, 10 minutes. Pour fig mixture into a blender and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a resealable jar. Makes enough syrup for about 10 drinks; store refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
Step 2
To make the cocktail, add bourbon, riesling, St-Germain, apple cider, lemon juice, and fig-infused honey syrup to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake until well chilled, about 15 seconds. Strain into a stemmed cocktail glass, coupe, or small wine glass. Garnish with apple slice (or dehydrated apple slice) and serve up.