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Apple Elixirs

State fruit inspires ciders, beers and booze

By Kae Lani Palmisano

HERE ARE PLENTY OF crops that signal the harvest season in New York

Tstate, but none signifies the spirit of autumn quite like apples. In fact, the humble apple is considered New York’s official fruit.

Aside from apple doughnuts, apple pies and applesauces, New Yorkers are finding creative ways to enjoy some of the nearly 30-millionbushel bounty that they produce each year. Some are distilling the crisp, tart fruit into spirits and others are fermenting the apples into wines.

Here are 10 apple drinks to indulge in this fall, all made in New York:

TUTHILLTOWN SPIRITS HALF MOON ORCHARD GIN Gardiner In traditional gins, the flavor of juniper berries dominates the spirit. With Tuthilltown Half’s Moon Orchard Gin, the flavor is a complex but balanced blend of citrus peels, cardamom, elderberries, bergamot orange zest, coriander and almonds along with juniper.

HARVEST SPIRITS CORNELIUS APPLEJACK Valatie This small-batch spirit is distilled from 100 percent homegrown apples. Aged for five years, its distinctive flavor is slowly developed from American oak casks that once held bourbon. It’s naturally gluten-free, so it’s a delicious and smooth alternative to whiskey.

FLY CREEK CIDER MILL & ORCHARD

FLY CREEK CIDER MILL & ORCHARD ORIGINAL APPLE WINE Fly Creek Dating back to 1856 when the mill was built, this line of wines mixes apples with a variety of other fruits like tart cranberries and sweet black currants. For a real taste of apple vino, go with the Original Apple Wine.

MIKHAIL LIPYANSKIY

EVE’S CIDERY BECKHORN HOLLOW Van Etten With every sip of Eve’s Cidery Beckhorn Hollow, your nose is greeted with effervescent bubbles that bring texture to the crisp, tart beverage. Made from organically grown and wild-foraged apples and pears, this line of ciders is distinct to the region.

SAM KAPLAN

NEVERSINK SPIRITS APPLE BRANDY Port Chester Made from 100 percent New York apples, Neversink’s apple brandy has its roots in a European tradition, but the local treatment gives this fruit brandy an American flair. The tart sweetness of the apples is enhanced by hints of spicy vanilla, earthy woods and subtle notes of pear. This spirit truly captures the best that New York apples have to offer.

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JESSICA MONTGOMERY

1911 ESTABLISHED PREMIUM VODKA LaFayette Beak & Skiff , the orchard that provides the apples to make 1911 Established premium vodka, knows what it means to develop high-quality products. In fact, the orchard won USA TODAY’s 10Best.com Readers’ Choice Award for best apple orchard in 2020. The 1911 Established distillery makes a diverse line of spirits spotlighting the mighty apple and its versatile applications. But the premium vodka, the distillery’s oldest product, with its notes of vanilla and 10Best.com is your source for what’s tops in travel, food and culture, providing inspiration to explore the world around you. caramel, is a fan favorite.

BLACK BUTTON DISTILLING

BLACK BUTTON DISTILLING APPLE PIE MOONSHINE Rochester Be careful with this apple pie moonshine! It’s sweet and smooth, infused with cinnamon and vanilla with a touch of brown sugar. It goes down easy, but at 40 proof, it can sneak up on you.

ROYAL MEADERY

ROYAL MEADERY NEW YORK APPLE CYSER Delmar A cyser refers to a mead that is fermented with apples rather than just water, giving it a bit more tartness. With the Royal Meadery New York Apple Cyser, the mead has a balanced floral aroma from the honey and a sweet tanginess from the fresh apple cider.

BIG DITCH BREWING COMPANY

BIG DITCH BREWING COMPANY CINNAMON APPLE Buffalo When the weather cools, Big Ditch Brewing Company spices things up with its seasonal cinnamon apple beer. This amber ale is brewed with local malts and local apple cider, and it’s flavored with oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon and allspice. If fall were a drink, it would be this beer.

FINGER LAKES DISTILLING

FINGER LAKES DISTILLING MAPLEJACK LIQUEUR Burdett Although the Finger Lakes is known for its wine, several craft distilleries also have taken root in the area. At Finger Lakes Distilling, the 70 proof Maplejack Liqueur starts off with a brandy made from local apples, then it’s aged in oak barrels with a bit of local maple

syrup.