This week’s cocktail is Eleanore’s apple highball, a classy autumnal aperitif with a pleasingly bitter zing. The recipe comes from Johanna Cole, general manager at Eleanore in Edinburgh, who says she adores calvados and built this highball off the back of a love for calvados and tonic. “This refreshing aperitif expands on that idea and feels really quite sophisticated in comparison,” she adds.
Apple syrup ingredients
For the apple syrup, you will need 250g eating apples (washed; braeburns are used), and 250g caster sugar. For the drink itself, the ingredients are 25ml calvados (Avallen is used), 20ml Lillet Blanc, 15ml apple syrup, 15ml fresh lemon juice, 1 dash orange bitters (Regans’ is used), 1 dash champagne (to taste), 1 dash tonic water (to taste), and 1 twist lemon zest to finish.
Method
First, make the syrup. Dice the apples, core, peel and all, and put them in a saucepan with the sugar and 100ml water. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes, until the apples are soft and the sugar has dissolved. Fine strain into a clean jar, seal and store in the fridge, where the syrup will keep for up to four weeks. It is also lovely diluted with sparkling water.
To build the drink, put all the liquids bar the champagne and tonic into a cocktail tin filled with ice and give it a short shake. Strain into a small chilled highball glass filled with fresh ice and top with a dash each of champagne and tonic. Give it a quick stir, squeeze the lemon zest over the top to express the oils (if you like, drop it into the drink afterwards), and serve.
