A well-received addition to the drinks I’m serving up in classes and at tastings this fall is the Apricot Old Fashioned.
A primer on liqueurs and sugar
Before we get into the drink, a quick aside about liqueurs since they’re a term that not everyone can readily define. At its most basic, a liqueur is an alcohol that has been flavored and sweetened, but its sweetness can vary notably. The European Economic Community states that European liqueurs, the one I’m using in this recipe is from France, must have 100 grams of sugar per liter, and the sweeter style, known as “creme”, must have 200 grams of sugar per liter. Something I recently learned is that “creme” does not mean dairy cream, instead it connotes a level of consistency and quality.
Since sugar gets beat up pretty badly these days, I want to break down the sugar contents of liqueurs to get an idea of how much is in a typical cocktail to alleviate concerns.
Standard European liqueur: 100 grams of sugar per liter is 3 grams per ounce
European creme liqueur: 200 grams per liter is 6 grams per ounce
Coca-Cola has 39 grams in a 12-ounce can. About 3.25 grams per ounce
Useful fact: 1 gram of sugar = 4 calories
To wrap my head around this, I weighed 3 grams of sugar, which fits in a half teaspoon. The recipe for this drink calls for a half ounce of liqueur, meaning a quarter teaspoon of sugar.
The drink
Apricots are harvested throughout the summer, and their bright sweet, and tart flavors with mild spice notes spoke to the mood of fall for me.
To the above conversation about styles of liqueurs, since this apricot liqueur is not a rich creme, I found that a quarter ounce of rich (2:1 sugar to water) turbinado syrup helped balance the drink. If it was a creme, the sugar content alone might have been enough sweetness. Or, if it was a creme and it made the Apricot flavor too intense, my next step might have been to try a quarter ounce of the liqueur and a quarter ounce of syrup. Remember, if the cocktail turns out too sweet for you, a dash of bitters will help tamp down the sweetness.
Recipe and video
2 oz Bourbon
1/2 oz Joseph Cartron Abricot (👈 that’s how the French🇫🇷 spell it) liqueur
1/4 oz of rich 2:1 turbinado syrup
1-2 dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters
Garnish: expressed lemon peel
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