Autumn Smash Vodka Cocktail

This beauty comes to us from bartender Aisha Sharpe of Mother’s Ruin in New York City. It’s not only a stunning and tasty cocktail perfect for fall, it’s also a persuasive argument for vodka’s year-round drinkability. Combine it with maple syrup, apple juice, and muddled fig and basil, and vodka can go toe-to-toe with the brown spirits after summer slips into fall. Here’s the complete recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 oz vodka
• .5 oz fresh lemon juice
• .75 oz maple syrup
• 1.5 oz Fuji apple juice
• 1 fig
• 3 Thai basil leaves
• Ginger beer, to top
• Thai basil sprig and half a fig, for garnish

Method

• Muddle the fig and Thai basil in a shaker tin.
• Add apple juice, lemon juice, maple syrup, vodka, and ice, and shake.
• Strain into a Rocks glass over fresh ice, and garnish with a sprig of basil and half a fig.