Courtesy Photo
Despite the snow starting to fly outside in Aspen, we are still firmly in the fall season.
Not every leaf has dropped, offseason is still here and there are still two very fall-ish holidays to celebrate: Halloween and Thanksgiving.
So with this in mind, I am trying to enjoy fall to its fullest. This attempt includes involving plenty of fall flavors in both my food and drinks.
From squash dishes to soups to seasonally appropriate drinks (ciders, pumpkin beers, etc.), I am eating and drinking up all things fall.
Along with my colleagues, I often reserve sharing my latest drink favorites in town or new recipes I’m trying for the Aspen Times Weekly Libations column.
However, with fall feeling fleeting and no room in the Libations schedule, I wanted to make sure to share this drink with readers before it was too late.
It’s a twist on a classic shared with me by friends at Reyka Vodka called a Celeritini.
Admittedly the name isn’t that appealing, but the folks over at Reyka have never poured me a drink I didn’t like, so I decided to take the vodka plunge and go with it.
Made with Reyka Vodka, lemon juice, maple syrup, apple-baked bitters (not to be confused with bitter apple spray that can sometimes come up as a top result on a Google search) and celery bitters, it’s a fun but easy cocktail to shake up.
“This is a great cocktail for the fall season, and it’s super simple,” said Reyka Vodka brand ambassador Trevor Schneider.
While the addition of celery bitters and maple syrup might seem strange, the maple helps balance the savory taste the celery bitters bring to the drink (as a bonus, the bitters also go well in a bloody Mary).
“The combination of these flavor is deceptively delicious!” Schneider said.
Serve up this martini, shaken not stirred, with a fall twist if you’re feeling a little fancy at your next get-together, for Friends-giving/Thanksgiving or whenever you need a sip of fall.
Find more drink recipes and reviews every Thursday in the Aspen Times Weekly Libations column or online at aspentimes.com/weekly.