Apple Jack (or applejack) is an alcoholic beverage that originates from the early American colonial days. As the name suggests, apple jack is produced from apples, made by concentrating or distilling hard cider. The term itself is derived from “jacking”, a word used to describe the freeze distillation method often used in the production of apple jack.
The resulting liquor is typically a bit on the sweet side, with, as one would expect, the taste and aroma of apples. Because of the relatively high costs and lower production yields associated with spirits made from fruit fermentation, commercially produced applejack is sometimes made from apple brandy diluted with grain alcohol.
The oldest American distiller of this fruit-flavored liquor is Laird and Company, founded in New Jersey in the late 1700s. Laird’s applejack is an apple brandy, distilled through evaporation and blended with other spirits to obtain the desired 80 proof alcohol content. The first know production of Laird’s Apple Jack was in 1698 in Monmouth, New Jersey. Supposedly the family provided George Washington with their family recipe around this same time period.
The term is sometimes used in reference to a drink recipe made from Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey and apple liquer. In fact, there are a number of cocktail recipes designed around applejack brandy … from the standard Collins, Sours and Manhattans to more exotic potions with equally exotic names … “Dressed Up Like A Dogs Dinner”, “Blessed Event” and “Jack Me Off” are some of the stranger concoctions we’ve run across that incorporate this cider-based beverage.
Each year in September, Nebraska City NE hosts a festival honoring the local apple harvest. One will have no trouble finding new recipes and ideas for all things apple, including AppleJack, at this annual weekend long shindig. |
