• Cooking Time: N/A
• Servings: 2
• Preparation Time: 2 minutes
• 3 tbsp gold rum
• 2 tbsp brandy
• 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider
• 1 tsp pure maple syrup (Grade B is best)
• 3/4 tsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• Ice

1. 1. Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously until thoroughly chilled. Strain into two cocktail or old-fashioned glasses. Serves 2.
3. NOTES: I shouldn't have to tell anyone, but let me be clear: use quality ingredients. PURE maple syrup (not "pancake" syrup), freshly-squeezed lemon, quality brandy and rum. You can gussy this drink up with a thin slice of apple wedged onto the rim of the glass, but I don't hold with anything that gets between me and my drink.
5. PLEASE BE AWARE: there is a LOT of sugar in this drink. Between the brandy, the maple syrup, and the apple cider, a couple of these will get your head spinning very quickly. Which is fine, as long as you're not driving. And, of course, please drink responsibly.

This cocktail comes to us from David Moo, an innovative bartender in New York City. He created this "as an ode to the New England woods he grew up around," according to the profile in Bon Appetit several months back. Since I'm a native New Englander myself, I can tell you, the man is on to something - this drink is a pure taste of fall in Vermont.