Along with being synonymous with our great American heritage, apples remind me of the holidays — comfort, wrapped in a delicious, cinnamon-tinged package. Enjoy in baked goods, with savory meats, and even in a refreshing beverage.

The flavor profile of apples will play perfectly with the fall and holiday parties you’re starting to plan. Why not surprise your guests with a cocktail to suit the festivities?

Royal Gala

Apple-flavored whiskey might not sound like your cup of tea, but in Hawaii it is wildly popular. This is a simple cocktail that pairs apple whiskey with fizzy ginger beer and a hint of acid from pomegranate juice and fresh lemon.

^

• 1/2 ounce lemon juice
• 1/4 ounce pomegranate juice (such as POM Wonderful)
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters
• 2 ounces apple whiskey (such as Crown Royal Regal Apple)
• 3-1/2 ounces ginger beer

Combine ingredients except ginger beer in highball glass. Fill with ice and top with ginger beer, stir.

Garnish: Thin apple slices floating in glass

Cider House Rules

Italian amari, or bitter liqueurs, are known for their aperitif and digestif qualities. They have as their main components bitter roots or barks, along with herbs and spices, and that bitterness works fantastically with the sweetness and effervescence of sparkling apple cider. The combo basically tastes like Christmas in a glass. Some examples of amari that would work well in this cocktail are Cynar, Averna, Ramazzotti, Amaro Lucano and even Jagermeister. If you need a little pick-me- up after a filling dinner, these liqueurs are all fantastic just chilled and enjoyed on their own.

^

• 1 ounce lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce ginger syrup (such as Pacifikool)
• 4 ounces sparkling apple cider
• 2 ounces Amari (such as Cynar, Averna or Ramazzotti)

Combine lemon juice, syrup and cider in highball glass. Fill with ice and top with Amari.

Garnish: Candied ginger and thin apple slices perched on rim

Pomme Wonderful

Calvados is basically the premium version of applejack. Made in the Normandy region of France, it is distilled from cider made with specially grown and selected apples. It must be aged a minimum of two years in oak, and must be made in one of the Calvados AOC (Appellation Controllee) areas. Pomme Wonderful is somewhat of an old-fashioned rendition, using both Calvados and a little cognac. Its warm flavors will remind you of fall, and it is a perfect after-dinner sipper.

^

• 3 dashes black walnut bitters (such as Fee Brothers)
• 1/2 ounce brown sugar syrup (see note)
• 1/4 ounce St. Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram liqueur
• 1/2 ounce cognac
• 1 ounce Calvados

Combine ingredients in mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain over large ice cube into bucket glass.

Garnish: Wide orange peel, star anise and a Luxardo cherry on bar pick

Note: To make brown sugar syrup, dissolve 2 parts brown sugar in 1 part hot water.

Honey Badger

Hard apple ciders are all the rage right now and have gone mainstream. I found most to be quite sweet — then I discovered a whole new realm of hard ciders. These are in the craft beer category, and some even have some barnyard funk, which gives them complexity and a dry finish.

I recently found one that isn’t too funky, but just dry enough: Rambling Route, available at Village Bottle Shop in Kakaako. Rambling Route is made in Washington state with only fresh-pressed apple juice and champagne yeast. It has a crisp apple flavor without being cloying. In this cocktail the honey brings just enough sweetness, balanced by the cinnamon notes in the bitters and vanilla in the bourbon, all wrapped in an effervescent cloud of dry hard cider.

• 1/2 ounce lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce honey syrup (see note)
• 3 dashes whiskey barrel-aged bitters (such as Fee Brothers)
• 1 ounce bourbon (such as Maker’s 46)
• 3-1/2 ounces dry hard apple cider (such as Rambling Route)

Combine ingredients except cider in highball glass. Fill with ice and top with cider; stir.

Garnish: Cinnamon stick with long twist of orange peel around it

Note: To make honey syrup, dissolve 5 parts honey in 1 part hot water.

Jack Rose

This classic cocktail was mentioned by Ernest Hemingway in “The Sun Also Rises” and also was a favorite of author John Steinbeck. The rose- colored drink includes applejack, a spirit popular in the American Colonial period, made by freezing distilling apple cider. In modern times it has become a blend of apple brandy and neutral spirits. To bump up the quality of the booze in this drink, use real, aged apple brandy instead of applejack.

The magic of this simple cocktail is in the homemade grenadine syrup. I highly advise taking the extra step of making your own, as typical store-bought brands are nothing but high-fructose corn syrup and red food coloring.

• 1/2 ounce homemade grenadine (recipe follows)
• 1 ounce lemon juice
• 2 ounces applejack or apple brandy

Combine all ingredients in mixing glass with ice. Shake and strain into martini glass.

Garnish: Orange peel “flower” on rim

Homemade Grenadine

• 1 cup pomegranate juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 ounce pomegranate molasses (sold in Latin and Indian markets)
• 1/2 teaspoon orange flower water

Heat juice and sugar just until dissolved. Off heat, add molasses and orange flower water.

Chandra Lucariello is director of mixology for Southern Wine & Spirits. Ingredient note: The liquors and liqueurs used in these recipes are widely available from Oahu liquor stores and some supermarkets.