Laird's Applejack: An American Original

I've had the honor of tasting many different spirits and liqueurs during my time in and out of the bar business. But until this past week, I had never had a taste of Applejack, specifically Laird's Applejack. What I enjoy more than a good spirit is a good backstory to said spirit...and this one has one. So taking a cue from my alter-ego History Sisco let's go back in time.

According to the label on the bottle of Laird's Applejack which is produced by Laird and Company, they've been in business since 1780 and the recipe for the Applejack was created by William Laird in 1698. The recipe proved to be so popular that it drew the attention of General George Washington when the applejack was being served to the troops of the Revolutionary army. General Washington loved the spirit so much that he asked for the recipe to make the applejack. And who can really say no to General Washington, right?

General Washington was given the recipe and he proceeded to distill some applejack. But that's not the only instance where a future President of the United States was linked to applejack. Our 16th President Abraham Lincoln used to serve liquor at the Berry and Lincoln grocery store in Illinois and applejack was undoubtedly one of spirits served. Rumor even has it that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, whose mixology skills I profiled with the Haitian Libation, would add a splash of applejack to his martinis. And for the record, I would say without much doubt that FDR was knocking back Gin Martinis. In literary circles, applejack in the form of the Jack Rose cocktail is knocked back by character Jake Barnes in Ernest Hemingway's novel The Sun Also Rises. I'll profile the Jack Rose cocktail in a later post.

The spirit also owes its popularity to a 19th century pioneer and preacher who went by the name of Johnny Appleseed. Appleseed would make his way through parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois and West Virginia planting apple seeds for the apples that are used to make applejack. And since I mention the apples in applejack, let's shift gears as to what applejack is.

According to the article One Family's Story: Apples to Applejack by Frank J. Prial from the New York Times dated May 4, 2005:

The best apples for making applejack are small, late-ripening Winesaps, Larrie Laird said, "because they yield more alcohol." Sixteen pounds of apples produce about 25 ounces of applejack.

The colonial American method for making applejack was to make hard cider from the apples, leaving the cider in barrels outside during the winter and as the water portion of the cider froze, it would be removed leaving the fermented and potent apple spirit. This process was knows as "Jacking."

Today Laird's Applejack is a 80 proof spirit made up of a blend of about 35 percent apple brandy and 65 percent neutral grain spirits. The spirit also be made from whole apples and must be aged four years in used bourbon barrels.

For the last 237 years, the Laird Family has been making applejack for countless generations of American drinkers. Now its my turn. For my next post, I'll highlight the Washington Applejack Mule that I made this past Tuesday.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
SiscoVanilla
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For Further Reading:

- One Family's Story: Apples to Applejack by Frank J. Prial from the New York Times dated May 4, 2005

- HOW APPLEJACK BECAME THE SPIRIT OF AMERICAN PRESIDENTS by DAN Q. DAO from the Saveur Magazine website dated FEBRUARY 22, 2017

- Jersey Lightning Karen Tina Harrison from New Jersey Monthly dated July 13, 2009

- Applejack by Troy Patterson from Slate.com dated December 7, 2011

- Elements: Applejack by Paul Clarke from Imbibe Magazine dated January 18, 2009