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Cocktail History
The Mott & Mulberry is a modern cocktail that was created by Leo Robitschek at NoMad Bar in New York City, New York. Designed to be a cold version of mulled cider, the recipe combines American whiskey, Italian amaro, apple cider, and citrus. It was also named for two intersecting streets located in Little Italy.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Rye: This is a type of whiskey made with at least 51% rye grain, malted barley, corn, and water. We used Sazerac Rye 18-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey because it has a nice spiced flavor with notes of vanilla, pepper, and herbs. For a mocktail version of this drink, try The Gospel Responsible Rye Non-Alcoholic Whiskey in place of the whiskey.
Amaro Abano: This is a digestif made in Italy with bitter orange peels, herbs, spices, and alcohol. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Dr. Zero Zero ArmarNo Non-Alcoholic Amaro in place of the amaro.
Apple Cider: This is a beverage made with freshly pressed apple juice and baking spices. We used The Glass Orchard Apple Cider because it’s fresh, delicious, and made locally to us.
Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. We used freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Demerara Syrup: This is a sweetener made with Demerara sugar and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s stovetop recipe.
Apple: This is a red fruit with a mealy texture. We used a Honeycrisp apple.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Apple Corer: This is used to core and slice apples. We used the OXO Good Grips Apple Corer, Slicer, & Divider.
Cocktail Pick: This is used to hold the garnish. We used one from the I-MART Stainless Steel Cocktail Pick Set.
Tasting Notes
The Mott & Mulberry features light aromas of apple, the taste of rich whiskey and apple accented with a much darker and herbal amaro note that’s backed with lemon bitterness, and the aftertaste of spiced apple that lingers on the palate.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: The amaro in this drink is not for the faint of heart. Kendall wasn’t used to its unique flavor and preferred the Apple Brandy Sour over this one because of its taste. Alex though enjoys the complexity amaros bring and thought the Mott & Mulberry might just be a new favorite Whiskey Sour riff of his.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I was very pleased with this drink! Amaro Abano doesn’t get used too often in our house; as far as amaro goes, it isn’t very far on the bitter scale, and it brings a lot of herbal flavors to this without much added bitterness. The rye provides a good amount of spice while the amaro adds more, and it’s all backed up with apple cider flavors and a touch of lemon’s sourness. Compared to other variations of the Whiskey Sour, I was a big fan of this one, but it’s definitely for people like me who want a contemplative drink rather than an easy one.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“Of the apple-forward recipes we’ve tried, this is probably near the bottom of my list of favorites, just because the amaro was too prominent to my palate. I’ve learned that I do usually like apple and rye together, but the amaro in this one has a bitterness I didn’t quite care for. I much prefer the Apple Crush or Stone Fence.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.
Add rye, Amaro Abano, apple cider, lemon juice, Demerara syrup, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a lowball glass over fresh cracked ice.
Garnish with apple slices.
Ingredients
Directions
Add rye, Amaro Abano, apple cider, lemon juice, Demerara syrup, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a lowball glass over fresh cracked ice.
Garnish with apple slices.
Make It a Mocktail: Use The Gospel Responsible Rye Non-Alcoholic Whiskey in place of the whiskey and Dr. Zero Zero ArmarNo Non-Alcoholic Amaro in place of the amaro to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Apple Cocktails
If you like this apple-flavored cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Apple Crush: An apply brandy and vodka cocktail made with apple cider, lemon juice, simple syrup, maple sugar, honeycrisp apple, and a cinnamon stick
Salted Caramel Apple Martini: A gin and apple brandy cocktail made with salted caramel syrup
Apple Brandy Sour: An apple brandy cocktail made with lemon juice, maple syrup, egg white, Angostura aromatic bitters, and a cherry
Spiced Pumpkin Punch: A gin cocktail made with apple cider, pumpkin purée, honey syrup, lemon juice, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon sticks
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