A Goes-Down-Easy Appley, Gingery Bourbon Cocktail

In celebration of their new organic Tea House Collection, we partnered with Pure Leaf Iced Tea to mix up an apple, ginger, and bourbon cocktail inspired by their Green Tea with a hint of Fuji Apple and Ginger.

If you're cooking up a quick tarte tatin or apple clafoutis for a summer dinner party, and you've peeled that beautiful speckled skin off your apples, do not dispose of it. I repeat: Do not toss it in the garbage, the compost, or to your pup! Instead, reserve it, stuff the strips into a pretty glass container, and pour some bourbon over them. You will not regret it.

Apple Peel Bourbon can be used in loads of ways—for drinking and cooking—and it's not just for fall or spiced beverages. (This infused bourbon is a tip Marian Bull turned us onto after she skimmed it from Tara Duggan's book Root to Stalk.) You might add a few ounces to your steak marinade, stir some into a summer soup, or even toss a little with the apples for your next tart.

But if I've got a stock of it, I'm making drinks. And if there's a whole bottle to be had, I'd make them for anyone who's coming over on a Saturday night.

You could easily enjoy a little over rocks or stir it up into an Old Fashioned, but summertime says chilled glasses and shaken cocktails to me. For this apple ginger shake-up, I plucked a few trusty companions off my bar cart to accompany the bourbon: high-quality triple sec (or Cointreau) and a couple dashes each citrus and aromatic bitters. Lemon juice comes next, and after a shake, into a sweet coupe it goes. It gets topped off with an ounce or so of strong ginger beer, and then garnished with a lemon peel that's been expressed over the top. Chin-chin!

Pure Leaf Tea House Collection is a trio of organic iced teas that each sport a fruit or herb companion, like Fuji Apple and Ginger green tea. See all three flavors here.