Orchard Boulevardier Recipe

Every Saturday during the fall, the farmers' market in my neighborhood becomes an urban orchard, with countless varieties of apples spilling out of rickety crates. Aside from the usual sack of baking and sweet snacking apples, I stop at the hot cider stand. Something about the sharpness of the air and the cutting edge of cold wind turns warm, unfiltered cider into an antidote.

The antidote becomes even more powerful with a splash of liquor. I made five variations spiked with spirits that are probably part of your existing arsenal. Less common bottles, like Bénédictine, will become favorites once you've tried them.

There’s a fruit and spice-studded mulled cider, a maple spin on buttered rum, a vibrant pepper and ginger version, and a riff on the champagne cocktail.

For this cider-soaked orchard boulevardier, I began with warm cider and fortified it with spirits that I'm familiar with and order frequently at bars, like Campari and bourbon.

The original boulevardier cocktail—equal parts whiskey, Campari, and sweet vermouth—is a warming, sophisticated drink, but stir bracing rye and bittersweet Campari into hot apple cider and you've got an extra layer of comfort. This drink recipe serves two, but we wouldn't blame you for going through a few mugs of it while curled up next to a crackling fire.

For the best results, use unfiltered fresh cider—the kind you find at your local orchard or farmers' market, or in the refrigerated case at your grocery store.