Abe Lincoln, during his brief stint as a tavern keeper in New Salem, Illinois, sold applejack to his customers at a cost of 12 cents a pint-cheaper than wine, gin, French brandy, whiskey, or rum, which may have ensured its popularity. There were soon dozens of distilleries churning out apple brandy-nearly 400 of them were up and running by the 1830s. Even refined, it was known as “Jersey Lightning.” By 1760, George Washington-who had substantial apple orchards at Mount Vernon-was asking the current Laird for his recipe. See The Highs and Lows of Hard Apple Cider History.) (The traditional rye for this drink didn’t grow too well in the Colonies. One story holds that he was doing his best to come up with a decent substitute for Scotch whiskey. The original Laird (William) arrived in Monmouth County, New Jersey, in 1698, and soon thereafter began producing a more refined version of applejack, an apple brandy aged in oak kegs. ![]() “…The victim of applejack,” claimed The New York Times on April 10, 1894, “is capable of blowing up a whole town with dynamite and of reciting original poetry to every surviving inhabitant.”īy 1780, applejack had gone professional, most famously from the distillery of Laird & Company, still in business today and the producer of the bulk of America’s applejack. A common nickname for applejack was “essence of lockjaw,” and over-indulgence in it led to a wobbly condition known as apple palsy,doubtless followed by a splitting headache. Drunk in quantity, it packed a powerful punch. This process of freeze-distilling, which relies on the fact that alcohol freezes at a lower temperature than water, was known as jacking-hence the cozy name applejack.Ĭider, converted to applejack, shrank to as little as one-tenth of its original volume, and could reach 65 proof–that is, over 30 percent alcohol. The water in the cider would freeze, and as ice was removed from the cider container, the alcohol in the brew became increasingly concentrated. The solution to this pressing pioneer problem was applejack.Ĭider, circa 1775, was routinely transmogrified into the stunningly stronger applejack simply by setting a pan of it on the back porch in the frigid days of winter. Based on my research, this is a traditional blend of alcohol and wine that creates a crisp but boozy and irresistible sangria.While the American colonists drank hard cider like their modern-day counterparts swill Pepsi and Coca-Cola, for some, cider’s relatively mild 4 to 6 percent alcohol concentration just wasn’t alcoholic enough. The only “special” ingredients it requires are a bottle of white Spanish table wine and apple brandy (brand recommendations included below!). This recipe is simple, requiring just 8 ingredients, 1 pitcher, and 15 minutes to make. So it was due time to create a white wine version. Years ago, we shared a recipe for Easy Traditional Red Sangria, and you all have loved that! It’s our go-to for hosting and one we enjoy over and over again. Since its inception and evolution, many other versions have become popular as well, including white sangria made with Spanish white wine, cava (sparkling Spanish white wine), and even cider. ![]() So while some Spaniards may enjoy sangria, it is a more popular drink among tourists. at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York.ĭespite its global popularity and common association with Spain, there is no official formula for sangria in Spain, and local restaurants are more often found to be serving a drink called tinto de verano, which is a simple blend of red wine, ice, and lemon soda or casera (sweetened soda water). ![]() And because drinking water was unsafe, it was often fortified with wine, spices, and herbs.įast forward to the early 1700s and 1800s when versions of what we now know as sangria were made in England, France, and eventually popularized in the U.S. The earliest versions of sangria are believed to have originated more than 2,000 years ago when Romans, making their way through the Iberian Peninsula, planted vineyards along the way.
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