When it comes to cocktails, the saying “American as apple pie”  might  well be changed to “American as apple brandy.” When our enthusiastically bibulous forefathers set foot on the soil of the New World, they brought apple seeds with them; the first apple brandy was made with apples harvested from trees  planted by the pilgrims.

During the Revolutionary War, George Washington's records mention “cyder spirits.”  Forget rum and whiskey, Applejack, an apple brandy distillate, is considered to be America's first indigenous spirit. At Eveleigh, bartender Dave Kupchinsky celebrates this and other all-American flavors in his “American Trilogy” cocktail.   

]The “American Trilogy” is a simple but sublime mix of Laird's Apple Brandy (their high end stuff) with another American original, High West Bourye Whiskey, an unorthodox but potently tasty combination of Bourbon and rye.  

These two ingredients are married with apple gomme, an old school style of simple syrup (here with apple flavor)  thickened with gum arabic to give it a silky mouth feel. Both the Angostura and orange bitters celebrate the pioneers' ingenuity for self-healing with roots, herbs, and such in early homemade and snake oil “bitters”.

The “American Trilogy” is a bit like an Old Fashioned in figurative – and literal – spirit (with its whiskey, sugar and bitters), but that analogy simply wouldn't be giving it its due. The flavors here all shine individually, and in combination, creating an altogether new level of complexity.  Sip, contemplate, enjoy. Let's hear it for the red, white, and blue. 

Lesley blogs at 12 Bottle Bar, tweets at @12BottleBar and is the author of the book “Gin: A Global History.” Email her at ljsolmonson@gmail.com. Want more Squid Ink? Follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook.

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