Your New Favorite Fire Pit Cocktail

Sweet maple syrup and spicy cinnamon are a classic combination. Adding tart lemon and sweet orange? That makes delicious sense. But rosemary? This surprise ingredient's distinct pine-y flavor amplifies rye whiskey’s oak notes, lending a contrast to the baking spices and sweet maple, and intriguing your taste buds to keep coming back for more.

Find it all in the Apple of My Rye, created by Ashley Law, beverage manager at Nashville’s Char Restaurant. “It’s a velvety smooth, fall-spiced Old Fashioned riff with light apple aromas and herbal notes from the rosemary,” she says. Once you make the syrup, the warming cocktail takes no time to stir together. So get the fire pit going, make your drink, and enjoy.

As a bonus, this can easily be batched for your next fall gathering. Law recommends serving it with smoked wings or grilled steak.

Apple of My Rye

• 2 oz. Uncle Nearest rye (or other rye)
• 1/2 oz. Laird’s apple brandy
• 3/4 oz. fall spice maple syrup (recipe below)
• Rosemary sprig for garnish
• Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Stir for 10 to 15 seconds, then strain over a large cube in a rocks glass. Use a butane torch to char the rosemary sprig, then add to the glass as garnish.
  
  Fall Spice Maple Syrup
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup water
• 3 rosemary sprigs
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 lemon peel
• 1 orange peel
  
  Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, then reduce to low and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat to cool. Strain into an airtight container. Keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.