HAYDEN’S FALL
PG tested
Needle & Pin’s Facebook and Instagram posts could make even a non-cocktail person thirsty. Earlier this fall, the Dormont “gin/craft cocktail bar & modern eatery” teased its new cocktail menu with some gorgeous off-the-menu fall drinks. Then it dropped the big news: Needle & Pin would close and reopen in the same spot as Jean Louis Parisian Bistro and Cocktail Bar.
One Facebook fan wrote: “Keep making killer cocktails, please.”
The restaurant’s response: “We will be!”
Lead bartender Derek James cooked up this super seasonal drink with Basil Hayden bourbon.
“It’s my go-to when I’m out having a Manhattan on the rocks,” he said. For added fall flavor, he wanted just a hint of pumpkin and found that Shipyard Brewing’s pumpkin ale worked perfectly. “It also helps balance the sweetness for those who don’t want a syrupy sweet fall cocktail.”
1½ ounces Basil Hayden bourbon 1¾ ounces apple cider
½ ounce lemon juice
½ ounce apple cinnamon tea-infused Demerara syrup
2 dashes smoke bitters
Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Add ice.
Shake hard for 10 seconds
Open shaker and add:
Small pieces of chopped apple 3 ounces pumpkin beer (preferably Shipyard Brewing Co. Pumpkinhead)
Pour into a highball glass and add ice.
Garnish with toothpicked-together apples slices and a thyme sprig.