The New Jersey Automobile
(Serves two)
Ingredients:
1/2oz applejack
1/2oz gin
1/2oz sweet vermouth
1/2oz blackberry jam
4 oz sparkling wine
Instructions:
Combine first four ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake well over ice. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and divide between two champagne coupes. Top with two ounces sparkling wine.
To mix for a crowd, combine equal parts of first four ingredients ahead of time and stir with ice, then strain through a fine sieve to remove the ice and bits of jam. When guests arrive, pour one ounce of the mixture into each glass and top with two ounces sparkling wine.
Amy on the Automobile:
'When I was on tour for The Drunken Botanist, I found that book tour events and book club meetings are a lot more fun when cocktails are served! So I decided to create a cocktail that pairs perfectly with Girl Waits with Gun.
The Automobile is a cocktail dating to the 1910s that combines equal parts Scotch, gin, and sweet vermouth. Honestly, it’s a bit hard to take, as were most automobiles in the 1910s, judging from the Kopps’ experience with them. I swapped the Scotch for applejack to give it a New Jersey attitude, added jam for a little sweetness (see p. 30 of the book for Norma’s opinion of jam), and topped it off with Champagne, which I believe Fleurette would have been very much in favor of if only Constance would’ve allowed it.'
