Apple Gin Fizz Cocktail

Moscow Mules have taught me I love ginger beer.  Now for something new.  The combination of fresh seasonal apple juice, lemon, and ginger beer is fantastic and one I had never tried before.  This drink is light, crisp, and refreshing, with a touch of apple essence.  Barb Kiebel, a fellow blogger, first brought this fun drink to my attention.  Kiebel refers to this as a “transitional cocktail” seasonally speaking, and think that sums it up nicely.

The weather is cooler, but it is not time to break out the bourbon just yet–but we’ll get there. A “fizz” is a mixed drink variation in the sours family of cocktails.  Its defining features are an acidic juice (typically lemon or lime) with the addition of carbonated water. A gin fizz is the most well-known drink in the fizz family and it is similar to a Tom Collins.

There are several simple variations on the gin fizz which include a silver fizz (the addition of egg white), golden fizz (the addition of egg yolk), royal fizz (the addition of a whole egg), diamond fizz (sparkling wine instead of carbonated water), also known as a “French 75“, green fizz the (addition of green crème de menthe), and purple fizz (which has sloe gin and grapefruit juice instead of gin and lemon juice).

Fall is apple season and this is the time to make an apple gin fizz, maximizing those sweet, yet tart, ripe red apples.  I have lightly adapted Kiebel’s recipe for this apple gin fizz, tweaking it to my preferences.  But her original recipe can be seen here.  As Fall rolls in, days begin to shorten and the air grows crisper and cooler.  Try this gin fizz recipe to ease the transition of seasons.