BOTTLE CRUSH: MISTELLE — Klocke Estate
Klocke Estate hosted Robert Simonson, author and New York Times cocktail writer, as a stop on his book tour for Bourbon & Rye Cocktails. While the Time And A Half cocktail, created by Klocke Estate bartender Charlotte Daniel, features in Simonson’s book, a surprise standout was the new Brevis Mistelle, a fortified cider. Currently starring in Klocke Estate’s Delicious Apple Highball, its lower-ABV makes Mistelle an appealing addition whether chilled and served over ice with a slice of lemon or as a base in a seasonal cocktail.
THE MOOD: Autumn aperitif
THE PICK: Brevis Mistelle
THE PRICE: $70
THE BACKSTORY: Mistelle is a centuries-old fortified drink made by blending unfermented or lightly fermented fruit juice with a distilled spirit before yeast converts the natural sugars into alcohol. The result is lower in ABV and a less boozy kin of brandy. Perhaps the best known mistelle is the apple-based Pommeau from Normandy which blends apple juice with Calvados apple brandy before resting in oak.
WHY THIS ONE? Co-owner John Frishkopf tells me Klocke Estate’s Brevis Mistelle differs sliightly as they reduce (concentrate) Hudson Valley apple juice for a lightly caramelized flavor before fortifying it with Klocke Estate barrel-aged apple brandy and finishing in French oak.
GIRL DINNER OR SNACK TO PAIR: Bright, rich, smooth, and lower ABV (around 20%), it’s a lighter sip without the booziness of brandy or cognac making it an excellent seasonal aperitif and a good addition for the Thanksgiving table.
COCKTAIL: Delicious Apple Highball (Evan Williams bourbon, Brevis Mistelle, apple juice and soda)
