Made with heirloom apples from local orchards, it’s a fruit-forward, seriously strong sipper (100 proof) that’s not to be taken lightly. It also won honors in the 2016 Good Food Awards.
People with more hair on their chests than I might sip Malvados neat in a snifter before or after dinner, but I like to dilute and darken it just a touch — like, say, with Bonal, the barely bitter, grape-based French aperitif that rounds out the brandy’s boozy kick.
In the cocktail below, OJ adds a touch of tart, while elder rum from St. Johnsbury’s Dunc’s Mill enhances the Bonal’s florals and subtle sweetness.
Ingredients:
2 ounces Mad River Distillers Malvados
1 ounce Bonal Gentiane Quina
2 ounces orange juice
1/2 ounce Dunc’s Mill Elderflower rum
Scant splash maple syrup
2 drops Angostura bitters
Blood orange or lemon peel, for garnish
Preparation:
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add all ingredients (except garnish) and stir for 30 seconds. Strain into a coupe or other cocktail glass, garnish with citrus peel or wheel, and serve.
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