Apple Honey Gin & Tonic

Apple Honey Gin & Tonic is part denial drink and part welcome/celebration cocktail. Honestly, even though I am a fall season girl, through and through, I am having difficulty letting go of summer this year. We’ve been lucky here in Germany to enjoy a lovely September. Gin & Tonic evenings in the garden are de rigueur all summer up until now.  We’ve also been squeezing in last-minute pool time and long bike rides. So, instead of changing lanes in the cocktail department,  I am pregaming the inevitable onslaught of crisp weather by turning a classic into a Rosh Hashanah celebration drink.

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. Apples and honey shine at the Jewish New Year like culinary celebrities, like in this Apple Honey Gin & Tonic. Together, they symbolize the sweet year everyone hopes for. First, the crisp apple represents health and wholeness. Then, the golden honey promises sweetness that lingers long after the holiday meal.

Of course, dipping one into the other is a ritual that even picky eaters can get behind. Moreover, the combination is simple, joyful, and slightly sticky—just like life. In addition, it gives everyone an excuse to say, “May your year be as sweet as honey,” while sneaking in an extra bite. Ultimately, apples and honey remind us that beginnings should taste good, and resolutions stick better when dipped in sugar.

So call it denial if you want. I say it’s creative cocktail adaptability. Will an Apple Honey Gin & Tonic work?  It’s a nail-biter.  But hey, the worst that could happen is that it wastes good tonic and even better gin. However, once I made the apple honey syrup, I got confident.

Apple Honey Simple Syrup

In general, creating simple syrup is exactly what it says in the title.  Simple. The difference in the apple honey version is the use of apple juice instead of water.  Then, stir in a touch of honey while the syrup is still warm.  Simple indeed.

For the Apple Honey Gin & Tonic cocktail. I use a sugar-free tonic. I feel the syrup has enough sugar to flavor the cocktail and enough sugar in general. However, it’s your choice.

Create the apple honey simple syrup, and you will not be sorry. The recipe below yields more than you need for two cocktails. However, there are so many other great uses for this apple honey-spiked elixir. For example, add a smidge to bubbly water, pour it into a fall cake batter, or drizzle a teaspoon full into plain or vanilla yogurt.

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Apple Honey Gin & Tonic

Course Cocktails

Cuisine Jewish

Keyword Apple Gin & Tonic, Apple Honey Cocktail, Fall Cocktails, Jewish New Year Recipes, Rosh Hashana Recipes

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Servings 2 Cocktails

Author Lora Wiley-Lennartz

Ingredients

For the Apple Honey Syrup:

• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon honey.

Cocktail:

• 3 shots Gin
• 3 tablespoons apple honey syrup
• 1 cup no sugar tonic
• Apple slices
• Honey for the glasses rims

Instructions

Make the Apple Honey Syrup:

1. Heat the apple juice and sugar in a small saucepan.
2. Cook, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Immediately stir in the honey.
4. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Make the cocktail:

1. Rim each glass with a light coating of honey. (I use a small paintbrush)
2. Place ice into 2 glasses
3. Pour 1+1/2 shots of gin into 2 glasses
4. Add 1+1/2 tablespoons of apple honey syrup to each.
5. Pour in tonic to top off each glass and stir.
6. Garnish with an apple slice and serve.

So, do you like this Apple Honey Gin & Tonic Cocktail? Then also check out some of these other delicious recipes:

CUCUMBER YUZU GIN PUNCH

HIBISCUS SLOE GIN FIZZ