Harvest Moon · Townsman
The Blueberry Buckle · Capo Restaurant
The Palmyra · Drink
We can’t say whether or not Harvest Moon is Neil Young’s best album, but we can say that Townsman’s Harvest Moon is the best cocktail named after a Neil Young album.
Appropriately, this bourbon-based drink—whose debut coincided with this year’s actual harvest moon—is designed to express some key autumnal flavors.
“I wanted to get a real fall drink on the list. It really tastes like you’re drinking a mulled cider,” says Townsman bar manager Jonathan Ross.
Ross accomplishes that feat by using fresh-pressed apple cider and St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram, a low-ABV liqueur with flavors of nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove. Combining the two creates the flavors of a mulled cider—without the mulling part.
The drink is brightened by lemon juice and balanced with a bit of bitter Becherovka. It contains two different bitters: Angostura and Jerry Thomas’ Own Decanter, which is similar to the Angostura but richer, darker, and more intense.
It’s something you could easily imagine yourself drinking a whole pitcher of while sitting on a front porch in Vermont, yet its bevy of ingredients provides a satisfying complexity that’s worth mulling over.
Harvest Moon
2 ounces cold-pressed apple cider
1 ounce Four Roses Bourbon
½ ounce St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
½ ounce Becherovka
½ ounce simple syrup
½ ounce lemon juice
3 dashes Angostura Bitters
1 dash Jerry Thomas’ Own Decanter Bitters
Nutmeg, to garnish
Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake, then strain into a double old-fashioned glass filled with ice. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg and serve.