Celebrating the first official day of Fall with fresh apple cider from a local Michigan orchard. I suppose a more patient person would have made an autumn simple syrup but I took a chance that the acid in the lemon and natural sugars in the cider would help tame the splash of raw maple syrup…it worked!

• 1.5 oz. bourbon (Maker’s 46)
• 2 oz. fresh apple cider (Wasem’s Fruit Farm)
• 1/4 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/8 oz. dark amber maple syrup
• dash of cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into a coupe. Sprinkle a dash of cayenne pepper.