American Trilogy
The American Trilogy is a sophisticated take on an autumnal Old Fashioned. I first came across this cocktail fanning through my copy of Sasha Petraske’s book, Regarding Cocktails, and I was instantly hooked. Originally created by Richard Boccato and Michael McIlroy while working at Dutch Kills on Long Island, NY, they created this cocktail using an equal split of applejack and rye whiskey for the base spirit. The presence of the applejack is slightly more pronounced compared to the rye, which may be attributed to the original recipe specifying the “bottled-in-bond” or “bonded” (100 proof) applejack; not only does it hold up better with competing flavors, but happens to be its purest form as it is not blended with neutral grain spirits. When it comes to preparing the American Trilogy, I prefer to make the cocktail directly in the rocks glass (in lieu of a mixing glass) before adding a large clear ice cube — ice in this larger format allows for a more controlled dilution, which is necessary to chill the cocktail and also mellow out the spirit. Last, but certainly not least, don’t forget to garnish with an orange peel. Even with the orange bitters added into the cocktail, the oil from the expressed peel over the cocktail is an absolute must. But don’t take my word for it, make one and try it yourself!
American Trilogy
In your rocks glass, combine the orange bitters, rich demerara syrup, rye whiskey, and applejack.
4 dashes / 0.5 tsp of Orange Bitters
1 tsp of Rich Demerara Syrup
1 oz of Rye Whiskey
1 oz of Applejack
Add your large ice cube and stir enough for it to settle into the cocktail. Slice a peel of orange and express the oil into the cocktail, rubbing it around the rim of your glass. Garnish with the expressed orange peel.
TIP(S):
Avoid cracks in your large ice cube — due to sudden temperature shift, set your large ice cube out at room temperature for a minute or two while you are building your cocktail.
Using a Demerara Sugar Cube instead of Rich Demerara Syrup — muddle a demerara sugar cube (or tsp of demerara sugar) in your glass with a tsp of club soda.
