Spiced Apple Tiki Smash - A Fall Rum Cocktail

A cocktail for when you are craving fall flavors but still love all things tiki and summer. And when it is still shorts weather when it is almost November. 

I usually love the heat here, but we usually get to escape in the middle of summer to get away from the peak of it. Not this year unfortunately. I am over it now. Ready for cooler weather.

It is almost November and we finally made it to the pumpkin patch and we were wearing shorts and t-shirts because it isn't cold yet. I am craving all things fall with food and drinks. But it isn't cold yet.

My solution was to come up with a recipe that is both great for fall flavors as well as the still not cold yet temps out side. A perfect fall rum cocktail creation.

A touch of fall, a touch of tiki, super refreshing and cozy at the same time. 

The orchard we go to for pumpkins has amazing apple cider they press and bottle every year. I always make a few cocktails with it, hot and cold. This year they were already sold out of it, so I used some apple cider I found at Trader Joe's for this fall rum cocktail. You can use any cider you like, I prefer either spiced or traditional unfiltered cider. The kind you can't see through. Clear cider is too much like regular apple juice to me. I much prefer cider. 

Along with cider, these fall rum cocktails also have in them:

• Koloa Kauai Spice and Reserve rums. Tiki drinks often have more than one rum in them. The spiced rum is so good here but to balance it out so the spice wasn't too over powering I also used their reserve rum. 
• All Spice Dram - a common tiki drink ingredient that adds depth, flavor and spice
• Falernum - another common tiki drink ingredient, that also adds depth and flavor
• Pineapple juice - yes! In place of lemon juice which is a more common addition to a fall cider cocktail
• Maple syrup - another fall ingredient in place of traditional simple syrup 
• Tiki bitters - I am such a fan of bitters for balancing the flavors in a drink and tiki are some of my favorite to use

So what exactly is allspice dram? 

Allspice dram is also known as pimento dram. It's typically a mixture of  pot still Jamaican rum infused with  the berries of the pimento tree, which have hints cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, and then sweetened.  This is why they are also called "allspice" since they have hints of several spices. Allspice dram is seen in many tiki cocktail recipes to add flavor, depth and spice to drinks. Like adding a touch of more seasoning to a recipe. I use St. Elizabeth allspice dram. 

This is added in smaller amounts since it is a more powerful flavor. I go with a bar spoon to a quarter of an ounce in cocktails and never more than that. It is meant to enhance, never over power. An allspice dram substitute would be something like a homemade spiced syrup or liqueur, something with cinnamon, nutmeg and clove in it.  I do suggest buying the allspice dram from a well stocked liquor store to have on hand. It's a shelf stable liqueur so it will last a long, long time. 

Now we know what allspice dram is, so what is Falernum?

Falernum is another common tiki drink ingredient. It is either liqueur based syrup or a non-alcoholic syrup. Flavors of ginger, lime and almond. Orgeat is a common substitute for Falernum. It is seen in many, many tiki drinks, adds another layer of flavor and depth to drinks.  Falernum is either used on its own in small amounts in tiki cocktails or listed in the ingredients next to allspice dram. They compliment each other well in many cocktails. 

Now we know what is this crazy delicious fall rum cocktail, here is the recipe. Check the notes for any additional substitutions. 

"Recipe"

Spiced Apple Tiki Smash - A Fall Rum Cocktail

Shanna

A fall rum cocktail for when it is still warm out but you are craving the flavors of fall. This cocktail brings the best of fall and tiki together in a very refreshing and delicious way.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Servings 2 Cocktails

Ingredients

  

• 3 ounces Koloa Spiced Rum
• 2 ounces Koloa Reserve Rum
• . 5 ounce allspice Dram
• . 5 Ounce Falernum
• .5 ounce maple syrup
• 4 ounces apple cider
• 2 ounces pineapple juice
• Few dashes tiki bitters

To garnish glasses:

• Maple syrup
• Cinnamon sugar
• Thin apple slices

Instructions

 

• Dip one half of the rims of two rocks glasses in a little maple syrup then into the cinnamon sugar. Fill glasses with ice.
• In a cocktail shaker filled with ice then add all of the cocktail ingredients. Shake well then strain into the prepared glasses. Garnish with a few thin apple slices skewered with a bamboo cocktail pick
• Serve. 

Notes

If you want to substitute for the allspice dram and Falernum you could use a cinnamon syrup and orgeat, an almond syrup. Both found at well stocked liquor stores. Since the allspice dram adds more spice to the cocktails, I would use a spiced cider instead of plain cider to make up for the loss of spices with the omission of the allspice dram.

Tiki bitters by Bittermans can be found online in various places, you can substitute with any tropical bitters you like.

If you want to make it a fizzy drink swap out the cider for a sparkling cider. Make the cocktail as stated above but omit the cider, pour into the prepared glasses then top with sparkling cider and stir gently to combine but not lose the fizz

Keyword apple cider, cocktail, fall, rum, smash, tiki

Spiced Apple Tiki Smash - A Fall Rum Cocktail