Tonight we return to some October basics: apple cider, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spices, and some good bourbon. This will not be a gimmicky drink–No lychees here! But the list of ingredients is promising. Let’s make…

Nightmare on Bourbon Street

The Recipe: OK, this sounds awesome: Start by preparing a cocktail glass by rimming it with cinnamon sugar, and filling it with ice. For the occasion, I used my “Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven” glass, provided to me by longtime friend Chris F.

Now, in a cocktail shaker, combine 1.5 oz bourbon (use the good stuff!), 1 oz fresh lemon juice, 1/4 cup apple cider, 2 tsp maple syrup (I get mine from Cousin Bonnie in Vermont), 1/4 tsp ground ginger, and 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon. Shake the hell out of it, and strain into the prepared glass. Now top the glass with Martinelli’s sparkling apple cider. (Note: The recipe actually asks that you top the drink with hard cider, but I figured Martinelli’s would be preferable. And I was right. As I always am. Well, sometimes.) Finally, add rosemary and a cinnamon stick as garnish.

The Ratings:

The appearance of this drink is welcoming and rich. To be fair, it’s not really Halloween-y, in that there’s no floating eyeballs or odd colors or fake blood. But it comes across as an honest, solid drink that’s somewhere between pumpkin and cinnamon in color. The rosemary evokes a tree in the spooky woods, and the cinnamon stick is a standard symbol of fall cookery. The sugar-cinnamon rim of the drink is just pure indulgence. I’ll give it 3 points for appearance. (It would have been 4 if I could have somehow called it a Halloween drink.)

But let’s shift to the taste: O. M. G. This is the ideal drink for a fall evening. The apple cider (NOT apple juice, you Philistine) is rich and complex and earthy. It perfectly complements (NOT compliments, you Philistine) the caramel and vanilla of the bourbon. The lemon juice emphasizes the tartness of the cider, but the maple syrup emphasizes the sweetness of the cider. The ginger and cinnamon are suggestive of an apple pie, while the Martinelli’s tips the balance toward apple sweetness, and also lends an effervescence. And as if all that’s not enough, the rosemary garnish adds depth of flavor and brings out the earthy notes, while the cinnamon stick is suggestive of a hot apple cider (even though this drink is iced). How could I not give this four points for taste?

The name “Nightmare on Bourbon Street” simultaneously evokes the Freddy Krueger franchise and the iconic street in New Orleans. It’s scary and fun and historic. It gets the full 2 points.

Grand Total: 9 points.

Make one tonight, and thank me later.