Apples.

It’s peak apple season in the Northeast, with apples popping up on store shelves and the tables of farmers’ markets. Tonight, Brian and I had an apple-themed dinner party. Every course had something applish. All the recipes will appear here over the coming week or so. The first recipe was, of course, for an apple-oriented cocktail.

“We have a lot of tequila,” I suggested. “Apple Margarita?”

Brian did some research, with no luck. No apple margarita recipes were to be found, and he took that as a sign from God. Speaking of God, he finally consulted Diffords at diffordsguide.com. Looking at the combination of tequila and apple juice he found the Chimayo:

• 2 shots of tequila
• ½ shot of crème de cassis liqueur
• ¾ shot of pressed apple juice
• ¼ shot of freshly squeezed lemon juice

 
He made the cocktail and neither of us was not fully satisfied. The tequila flavor dominated, and Brian was using full-flavored apple cider, not just apple juice. There were no apple overtones at all.

Brian experimented with different proportions and ended up using much more apple cider for what I will dub the Chimayo II:

• 2 shots of tequila
• ½ shot of crème de cassis liqueur
• 2½ shots of pressed apple juice
• ¼ shot of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 shot of simple syrup

 
To make this drink, put all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake until cold and pour into a martini glass filled with crushed ice.

Our guests tonight liked this combination. So do I. Suzen is critical, saying it needs more. So, I’ll call this Chimayo II a work in progress and keep tuning it. If you want to experiment yourself, and find something you think is good, please let me know.

I think the balance now between the distinctive tequila flavor and the apple is good. The sugar syrup gives a touch of sweetness to contrast with the tequila heat. The cassis is not obvious, and I’m going to experiment with dropping it, but upping the lemon. And, just to be complete, I want to substitute lime for lemon juice as well. I still want more dimension and perhaps that is the path to achieve it.

If we succeed, we’ll let you know.