Applejack Cocktails

By Danny Childs / Photography By | Last Updated September 09, 2021
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LOCAL LIBATIONS

Apple brandy (aka applejack) was a favored drink in colonial New Jersey, made for household consumption by distillers such as William Laird, a Scottish immigrant who settled in Monmouth County in 1698.

With such deep local roots, it’s no surprise that applejack played a role in New Jersey’s cocktail culture early in the 20th century. After finding a few archival recipes in our research of that period, we asked Danny Childs, mixologist at The Farm and Fisherman Tavern in Cherry Hill and Edible Jersey’s cocktail columnist, to adapt them for today’s audience.

Each recipe makes one cocktail.

Cocktails crafted with Laird’s Applejack. Laird & Co, America’s oldest licensed applejack distiller, has been operating in Scobeyville, NJ, since 1780.

Comet Cocktail

Comet Cocktail
Adapted from original recipe published in Perth Amboy Evening News, May 17, 1910. This cocktail, featuring French vermouth and created in honor of the arrival of Halley’s Comet, was considered “...

Jersey Sunset

Jersey Sunset Cocktail
Adapted from original recipe published in Asbury Park Press, September 8, 1901.

Mince Pie

mince pie cocktail
Adapted from a recipe believed to have originated in Newark around 1890.

Tinton Falls

Tinton Falls cocktail
Adapted from original recipe published in The Red Bank Standard, December 13, 1929.