Orchard Keeper

The Orchard Keeper, from the book Normandy Cocktails by Jean-Paul Thomine and Christian Drouin, is a prime example of alcohol’s magical ability to capture and recreate the flavors of the harvest, storing the flavorful aromatics of fruits and herbs until they’re released into a cold glass.

This is no Appletini – the Orchard Keeper is a rich, true barely-sweet apple flavor that knocks those neon-green monstrosities right off the bar.

Calavados (or another dry apple brandy) provides the appletastic backbone, while blanc vermouth gives it a grassy, bright flavor that makes it taste like something fresh-picked. Honey syrup is a perfect sweetener here, resulting in a cocktail that tastes like a honeycrisp apple.