Friday Cocktail: Maple Bourbon Cider Smash

Now Autumn is properly settling in, we could all do with a warming cocktail to take the edge off the chilly weather.

So I set about experimenting with my favourite autumnal flavours - gloriously seasonal apples, soft, earthy cider, smokey bourbon and rich, sweet maple syrup. The result is a medium-sweet cocktail that really benefits from a tiny dash of salt to make both the sweetness and the sourness pop.

I will warn you - this doesn't taste as boozy as it is. And it is very, very easy to drink. But if you want to stick to one, I'd recommend adding a splash or two more maple syrup and enjoying it as an after-dinner treat - that added sweetness will make it too dessert-like to require another! Or so we hope...

This is an easy cocktail to make in batches if you're having a party and is perfect to serve up by candlelight as the light of the day grows dim.

Maple Bourbon Cider Smash cocktail (serves one - multiply as needed)

Ingredients:

• 40ml bourbon
• 90ml cider
• 25ml lemon juice
• 35ml maple syrup
• pinch sea salt
• Apple slices, to garnish

Shake it!

1. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the bourbon, lemon juice and maple syrup.
2. Then add a pinch of sea salt and give it all a healthy shake, before adding the cider and stirring so the cocktail combines (without frothing the cider if your cider of choice is very fizzy!)
3. Pour the mixture - ice and all - into an old-fashioned or bubble glass and garnish with the apple slices.

 Enjoy!