clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Drink These 30 Cider-Themed Cocktail Week 2015 Specials While They Last

Every theme week, we ask restaurants whether they'd like to offer a special drink or dish based on an "assignment" related to the theme. For Cocktail Week 2015, participants have created a fall cocktail that features cider (alcoholic, non-alcoholic, or both). Read on for details about what they are and where to find them.

Shutterstock/Mia Stern

Juan's Manzana

Juan's Manzana
The Painted Burro
Lindolfo Silva, lead bartender

  • 1.5 oz. Single Barrel Select Corazon Reposado Tequila
  • 1 oz. rosemary chipotle syrup
  • 4 dashes of plum bitters
  • 2.5 oz. Bantam Cider

Garnish with an apple slice and a cinnamon/sugar rim. Serve in a rocks glass.

Available for $12 nightly throughout Cocktail Week. The cocktail's name is a play on Johnny Appleseed.

Downeasta Rosebud

Downeastah
Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar
Beth Herron, bartender

  • 1 oz. Putnum New England Rye from Boston Harbor Distillery
  • 1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 oz. simple syrup
  • 2 dashes Fee Brothers Barrel Aged Whiskey Bitters

Top with Downeast Original Cider, and use an apple peel rose as garnish.

Available for $12 nightly throughout Cocktail Week (as well as during Friday lunch on October 16). Herron has been at Rosebud since it opened a year ago, and she enjoys working with local products to create seasonally inspired cocktails.

Adam's Downfall

Adam's Downfall
Zebra's Bistro and Wine Bar
Aaron Brooks, bartender

Available for $12 throughout Cocktail Week, Adam's Downfall combines vodka with Eden's heirloom blend ice cider. It's topped with Eden's semi-dry sparkling cider, garnished with a cinnamon stick, and served in a highball glass.

"I created this drink because I have always loved apple cider this time of year and have been always wanting to put my own twist on it and making it fun," says Brooks.

Rowes Wharf Bar cocktail

Apple Frappe
Rowes Wharf Bar at Boston Harbor Hotel
Kerem Benyamini, general manager, and Juan Carlos Perez, bartender

  • 2 oz. Michter’s Rye
  • 1 1/2 oz. apple cider
  • 3/4 oz. lime juice
  • 1/2 oz. orgeat

Available for $15 throughout Cocktail Week. (Rowes Wharf Bar is open 4 p.m. to midnight Sunday and Monday, and it's open 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday.) Ask for it by name.

The Falling Leaf

The Falling Leaf
Pastoral
Timothy Kotkowski

  • 1 oz. Sailor Jerry's spiced rum
  • 1/2 oz. lime juice
  • 1 oz. apple cider
  • 1/2 oz. Pastoral's house-made candy crab apple shrub
  • 2 dashes of almond, vanilla bean, and clove tincture
  • 2 oz. New City gluten-free alcoholic cider

Available for $11 throughout Cocktail Week; ask for it by name.

Loyal Nine Cocktail

Tapestry of Stone
Loyal Nine
Fred Yarm, bar manager

  • 1 oz. Hamilton's 151 Proof Demerara Rum
  • 1 oz. unfiltered apple cider (fresh pressed, non-boozy)
  • 1/2 oz. cinnamon syrup
  • 1/2 oz. lemon juice
  • 1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

Available for $11 throughout Cocktail Week from 5:30 p.m. to close (except for Monday, when the restaurant is closed for dinner).

"It is a riff on the Stone Fence, a Colonial drink of hard apple cider spiked with either rum or whiskey," says Yarm. "For a name, I looked to Helen Keller, an under-appreciated New England poet. In her 'The Song of the Stone Wall,' I was drawn to her line 'This is New England's tapestry of stone' in referring to the stone walls that line apple orchards and such."

Newton's Last Word

Newton's Last Word
Posto
Vincent Conte, lead bartender

  • 1 oz. Elijah Craig bourbon
  • 1.5 oz. Rind, a variety of Far From The Tree Cider
  • .5 oz. Yellow Chartreuse
  • .25 oz. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 dash orange bitters

Garnish with an orange zest. Serve up in a martini glass.

Newton's Last Word is available for $12 nightly throughout Cocktail Week. "We recently added Far From The Tree Cider to our menu," says Conte, "and are excited to be hosting a cider dinner with them on Wednesday, October 28 at 6:30 p.m."

Dust Bowl Mule

Dust Bowl Mule
Bergamot
Paul Manzelli, bartender

The Dust Bowl Mule is available for $12 at the Bergamot bar throughout Cocktail Week.

  • 2 oz. Trabanco Cider, an all-natural cider from Asturias, Spain
  • 1/2 oz. Becherovka (liqueur or herbs and spices from the Czech Republic)
  • 1/2 oz. local honey (Eat Local Honey, cut with 33% hot water for syrup)
  • 1/2 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 3/4 oz. house-made ginger beer

Shake all the ingredients except for the ginger beer. Strain into a lowball glass with ginger beer and one large ice cube. Garnish with fresh cracked black pepper.

"The cracked black pepper reminded me of dust in a glass (or bowl, if you will)," says Manzelli, "and it reminded me of a line from my favorite Woody Guthrie song, 'Pastures of Plenty': Out of your dust bowl and westwards we rolled, and your deserts was hot and your mountains was cold."

Vida Cantina cocktail

Vida's Wicked Apple
Vida Cantina (Portsmouth, NH)
Michelle Raye, general manager

  • 2 oz. Bulleit Rye
  • 1 1/2 oz. "wicked apple" (reserved liquid from poaching apples for one of our desserts)
  • 1/4 oz. lemon
  • Mole bitters

Available for $10 throughout Cocktail Week.

Zacatlan - Fairsted

Zacatlan
Fairsted Kitchen
Will Isaza, spirit whisperer

Available for $12, the Zacatlan is made of Cimarron Blanco tequila, house-made cider syrup (local apple cider, cinnamon, and Demerara sugar), fresh lemon juice, Angostura bitters, and egg white, and it's garnished with a dehydrated apple crumble.

Coda Cider Cocktail

Coda Cider Cocktail
Coda Bar + Kitchen
Angela Lamb, bar manager

  • 2 oz. spiced rum (infused in-house with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, orange peel, and vanilla bean)
  • 1/2 oz. apple cider (fresh, local cider from Redd's Farm, reduced into almost a syrup, not served hot)
  • 1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice

Served on the rocks with a brandied cherry and available for $10 throughout Cocktail Week. "I made this drink at my last job where I tended bar for five years," says Lamb. "The chef got the boiled apple cider in for a dish he created, and I fell in love with it. It has such a rich deep flavor. At the time, I was really into making house-infused spiced rum. So flavorful, easy, and really interesting. The two went together really well and my regulars loved it."

Chopps cider

Game Day Cider
Chopps American Bar & Grill in Burlington
Davide Crusoe, beverage director

Ingredients include Lookout Farms fresh pressed apple cider, sliced green apples, Pierre Firand Cognac, a cinnamon stick, star anise, and steamed milk. Add apples, cinnamon, star anise, cognac, and hot cider to French press and let steep for three minutes. Press and pour into snifter and top with foam from steamed milk (a la cappuccino), dust with cinnamon, top with apple, and serve.

Available for $10 every day of Cocktail Week after 5 p.m.

This is a French pressed cocktail that blends everything that says fall in New England," says Crusoe. "All complete with a warm and toasty finish. All that is needed is a fireplace and a special someone to share this with. This cocktail was developed after being invited to a Patriots game by some friends. I needed to bring something that was appropriate for the festivities that everyone would enjoy, so we brewed up two huge containers. Needless to say we enjoyed them all day, and the cold and bitter day never really affected us! Everyone definitely enjoyed the 'Game Day Cider!'"

Il Melo - Salty Pig

il Melo ("Apple Tree" in Italian)
The Salty Pig
David Spielberg, bartender

Available for $10 throughout Cocktail Week; just ask for it. It features Amaro Sibilla ("a fairly complex, bitter amaro," says Spielberg), wild mountain honey, ginger liqueur, a house-made apple-ginger shrub, lemon, Peychaud's, and Downeast Cider. "This is a nice way to incorporate the approaching fall with a more unknown Italian amaro," he says.

Kirkland Tap & Trotter cocktail

Nanotech
The Kirkland Tap & Trotter
Mary Kurth, bartender

Available for $11 throughout Cocktail Week, Nanotech is made of Pisco, cognac, celery bitters, absinthe, lemon, and Downeast Cider.

Cactus in Bloom - 51 Lincoln
Quince-Essential and Cactus in Bloom
51 Lincoln
Emmet Kelty, bar manager

Offering two specials for Cocktail Week, each $11. The Quince-Essential is made with white rum, rosemary-infused house vermouth, lime, and creme de cassis, and it's topped with Querry Sparkling Hard Cider. The Cactus in Bloom (pictured) is made with tequila, lemon, elderflower liqueur, vanilla, and barrel-aged bitters, with an apple cider dust rim.

Fireside cocktail

Fireside
Clink and the Liberty Bar at the Liberty Hotel
Dave Miller, lead bartender

  • 1 1/2 oz. Bacardi 8
  • 3/4 oz. apple cider
  • 1/2 oz. maple syrup
  • 1 oz. Cocchi Americano
  • 1/4 oz. St. Elizabeth's Allspice Dram
  • 1/2 oz. lemon juice
  • 2 dashes Peychaud's Bitters

Available for $15 throughout Cocktail Week.

Cider & Rye - Bokx 109

Cider & Rye
Bokx 109
Tony Romano, bartender

  • 1 oz. Bulleit Rye
  • 4 oz. Lookout Farm Hard Apple Cider
  • Dash of Angostura bitters

Served with an apple wedge.

Available for $12 throughout Cocktail Week. Ask for it by name.

Ghost Cider

Ghost Cider
Franklin Oyster House (Portsmouth, NH)
Dagan Migirditch, general manager

  • 1 1/2 oz. Pisco
  • 1 oz. clarified apple cider
  • 1/2 oz. ginger liqueur (We use Barrow's.)
  • 1/4 oz. house orgeat

Shake, strain, and serve up.

Basic Witch - Sweet Cheeks

Basic Witch
Sweet Cheeks
Sean Chase, bartender

Available for $11 throughout Cocktail Week, the Basic Witch is made with Four Roses bourbon, pumpkin simple syrup, apple cider, and Peychaud's Bitters.

Grand harvest martini

Grand Harvest Martini
ArtBar at the Royal Sonesta
Kevin Khem, restaurant manager

  • 2 oz. apple cider
  • 1/2 oz. Batavia Arrack
  • 1/2 oz. Pimm's No. 1
  • 1/4 oz. lemon juice
  • Dash of house grenadine

Shaken and poured into a martini glass, served with a cinnamon sugar rim and grated nutmeg garnish.

Available for $12 throughout Cocktail Week.

Cider Smoke and Sage

Cider, Smoke & Sage
Moxy (Portsmouth, NH)
Bryan Emerson, bartender

Available for $11 throughout Cocktail Week, this smoky and savory fall cocktail is made with Del Maguey Mezcal, Art in the Age Sage, cider vinegar, and boiled cider. If you don't see it on the menu later in the fall, ask for it by name, and they'll be happy to make it.

Aquitaine cocktail

The Sabatacle
Aquitaine Boston
Ludgie Beauvais and Maggie Batista, bartenders

  • 1 3/4 oz. Pimm's No. 1
  • 3/4 oz. Amaro Montenegro
  • 1 oz. spiced apple cider (or fresh pressed apple juice)
  • 3 dashes of molasses bitters

Add all ingredients into a shaker, add ice, shake, and pour. Add a slice of charred apple for garnish.

Available for $12 throughout Cocktail Week and beyond. Look for it on the menu.

La Brasa cocktail

Stone Fence
La Brasa
Rob Hoover, bar manager

  • 1 1/2 oz. rye (Slow & Low because it's slightly sweetened)
  • 1/4 oz. St. Elizabeth's Allspice Dram
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters
  • 4 1/2 oz. cold farm-fresh apple cider (enough to fill a Collins glass)

Build the cocktail with the first three ingredients, top with cider, and add cubed ice. Garnish with an apple slice.

Available for $11 throughout cocktail week, Stone Fence is a classic cocktail. "I think I'm really a farm boy at heart," says Hoover. "Whenever apples come into season, you'll always find me with at least a couple on my person at all times. So I usually have apples on the mind when I'm thinking about fall cocktails!"

il casale cocktail

Cranberry Cider Doughnut
Restaurant danteil Casale Belmont, and il Casale Lexington
Sean Barney, bartender at il Casale Lexington

Available for $13 at all three restaurants throughout Cocktail Week, the Cranberry Cider Doughnut features a rum that has been infused with cranberries, apples, and cinnamon. Vanilla bean and citrus are added, and everything is shaken and topped with hard cider.

Tres Gatos cocktail

El Ontoño
Tres Gatos
Josh St. Laurent, bartender

Available for $11 throughout Cocktail Week, El Ontoñio is made of Xicaru mezcal blanco, Cazadores añejo tequila, jalapeño, mint, and fresh local apple cider.

Deuxave cocktail

Stolen Apples
Deuxave
Chris O'Neill, bartender

  • 4 oz. Downeast Cider
  • 1 oz. Calvados
  • 1/2 oz. Allspice Dram
  • 1/2 oz. Dolin Genepy des Alpes
  • 1/4 oz. lemon juice
  • Angostura bitters

"The name of the drink comes from when I was a kid," says O'Neill. "My mother used to take me and my brother up into the woods behind our house. We'd hike up through the woods, a corn field, and into the orchard. We'd fill our bags with delicious apples. We'd always eat one on the walk back, and that stolen apple always tasted better for some reason."

Available for $13. Ask for it by name at Deuxave's bar on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday of Cocktail Week. It won't be listed on the menu, and it's not available in the dining room.

Five Horses cocktail

Fall Hallows
Five Horses South End
Eric Cross, beverage director

  • 1/2 oz. Rock and Rye Whiskey
  • 1/2 oz. cinnamon syrup
  • 1/2 oz. butterscotch schnapps
  • 1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 oz. Amaretto
  • Graham cracker crumbs
  • Ace Pumpkin Cider

Mix all ingredients except cracker crumbs and cider, shake with ice, and double strain up into a graham cracker crumb rimmed coupe glass. Top with Ace Pumpkin Cider.

"Brings back memories of fall, pumpkins, cider, and trick or treat candy," says Cross.

Michael Myers

Michael Myers
Back Bay Harry's
Jarek Mountain, bartender

Available for $12 throughout Cocktail Week, the Michael Myers includes pumpkin butter-washed bourbon, house apple cider cordial, allspice dram, cinnamon bark, coffee-infused sweet vermouth, egg whites, and black walnut bitters.

Hojoko special cocktail
Eater Apple Bomb
Hojoko
Joe Cammarata and Daren Swisher, co-bar managers

Available for $10 throughout Cocktail Week, the Eater Apple Bomb is a shot of torched cinnamon shochu dropped into Downeast Cider.

EATER APPLE BOMB: torched cinnamon shochu in Downeast Cider #eatercocktailweek #eaterapplebomb

A video posted by #hellohojoko (@hojokoboston) on

Deuxave

371 Commonwealth Avenue, , MA 02115 (617) 517-5915 Visit Website

BOKX 109 American Prime

399 Grove St, Newton, MA 02462 617-454-3399 Visit Website

Pastoral

345 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210 617 345 0005 Visit Website

Il Casale Cucina Campana + Bar

1727 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA 02420 (781) 538-5846 Visit Website

Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar

381 Summer Street, , MA 02144 (617) 629-9500 Visit Website

The Liberty Hotel

215 Charles St, Boston, MA 02114 (617) 224-4000 Visit Website

Sweet Cheeks

1381 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02215 617 266 1300 Visit Website

The Painted Burro

219 Elm Street, , MA 02144 (617) 776-0005 Visit Website

Posto (Somerville)

187 Elm St., Somerville, MA 02140 Visit Website

DANTE

16901 Wright Plaza, , NE 68130 (402) 932-3078 Visit Website

Tres Gatos

470 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts 02130 617 477 4851 Visit Website

Fairsted Kitchen

Beacon St, Brookline, MA (617) 396-8752

ArtBar

40 Edwin H Land Boulevard, , MA 02142 (617) 806-4200 Visit Website

Zebra's Bistro And Wine Bar

21 North St, Medfield, MA 02052 (508) 359-4100 Visit Website

Aquitaine

569 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02118 (617) 424-8577 Visit Website

Boston Harbor Hotel

70 Rowes Wharf, , MA 02110 (617) 439-7000 Visit Website

La Brasa

124 Broadway, , MA 02145 (617) 764-1412 Visit Website

The Salty Pig

130 Dartmouth Street, , MA 02116 (617) 536-6200 Visit Website

il Casale Cucina Italiana and Bar

50 Leonard St, Belmont, MA 02478 (617) 209-4942 Visit Website

Loyal Nine

660 Cambridge Street, , MA 02141 (617) 945-2576 Visit Website

51 Lincoln

51 Lincoln St, Newton Highlands, MA 02461

Hojoko

1271 Boylston Street, , MA 02215 (617) 670-0507 Visit Website

Bergamot

118 Beacon St, Somerville, MA 02143 617-576-7700

Back Bay Harry's

142 Berkeley St, Boston, MA 02116 (617) 424-6711 Visit Website

Five Horses Tavern

400 Highland Avenue, , MA 02144 (617) 764-1655 Visit Website

The Kirkland Tap & Trotter

425 Washington Street, , MA 02143 (857) 259-6585 Visit Website

Coda

329 Columbus Ave, Boston, MA 02116 617-536-2632 Visit Website

Chopps Grill

1 Mall Rd, Burlington, MA 01803 (781) 221-6643 Visit Website